


All Our Days

by Becca31



Category: Every Day - David Levithan
Genre: Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-03-31 02:49:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13965759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Becca31/pseuds/Becca31
Summary: I have read the book and seen the movie multiple times....this story is from both.At the endings, I just had to know what happened next--so, I wrote this.  It is a serious labor of love





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are love

It would never happen again…

For more days than she cared to count, this had been Rhiannon’s default thought. For only in this certain denial could her brain give her heart any semblance of peace. This had been a long fight—without doubt—years in the making. The heart wants what it wants and all that…but at the end she had simply given up on ever seeing A again…

When Rhiannon gazed into the pale hazel eyes of the man in front of her, she told herself—once again—the same mantra she had silently proclaimed over and over again. Despite the strong sense of familiarity and strange comfort the tall man’s eyes conveyed to her she had to, of course conclude--

Never again…

Never again would she look into the eyes of a stranger and feel an immediate certainty of recognition. Years ago she had discovered a seemingly unerring ability to SEE her lover and friend in whatever body “they” had happened to land in for that day. All she had to do—was make eye contact and she knew—just knew—that this boy or girl…or trans-person she had encountered…was A. Rhiannon could ‘see’ A behind the eyes of the host’s body…every time.

Four years ago this had been true. Four long, bittersweet years full of love and loss, happiness and bitter tears were in the past behind her. How many times over those years had Rhiannon looked up, locked eyes with a stranger, and felt she was seeing A again…

Dozens…tens of dozens..?

Not once had it been true. A was gone. Searches online, a closed email account and many, many sad encounters with confused strangers had first broken, then hardened the young blonde girl’s heart and finally prompted her current understanding; 

A was gone. She would never see A again.

Never again…

But…

“I’m so sorry…what did you say?” Rhi was embarrassed to have completely missed the customer’s order.

“Uh…large hot tea please. Chinese oolong…” Hazel eyes offered a gentle smile.

“Of course.” Rhiannon, from behind the counter tapped a few keys on her cash register, only making two quickly corrected mistakes in the process. Her hands, it seemed, had not gotten the message about this NOT being A, and were shaking nervously.

“Anything else? Something to eat maybe?”

“No thank you. But you are very kind to ask.” Even the cadence of the voice was triggering her usually sad and silent radar.

“Of course…usual Ground Zero service.”

Oh hell, caution to the wind. It was not as if she hadn’t made a fool of herself countless times over the elapsed 1394 days since she had told A goodbye. What was one more episode of embarrassment?

Rhiannon collected the cup of tea from her relief barista and handing it to the hazel eyed man smiled and bravely asked, “Sooo… Is it you..?”

Hazel eyes smiled back. “Now THAT is a complicated question. With many possible answers.”

“You don’t say…”

“I do say. And—if you are a philosophy major the answer is an empirical ‘yes, I am me,’---or if your studies include psychology then the reply would be ‘how could you know me, yourself, or anyone without collecting proper data…’ ”

“Strangely enough, I study BOTH. And I am sorry…for a moment, I thought you were an old friend of mine…”

“No sorry needed. And perhaps I can take the role of a new friend. Since your shift is over why don’t you make yourself a latte and come join me…Rhiannon…”

For just an instant…the girl was taken aback, then—she remembered---her name tag. Maybe he’s just flirting..?

“Uh…ok. How did you know that my shift is over AND how did you know my coffee order?”

He just shrugged. “A pair of lucky guesses?”

“Maybe. And you also guessed my major and my minor—and correctly guessed that I am a student at the university.”

“Perhaps I am a perceptive person…?”

“Perhaps. Be out in a minute then.”

Rhiannon quickly made her latte, hung up her apron and washed her hands. Hazel eyes waited patiently by an empty table cradling his tea in both hands, his gaze not leaving her for a second.

This guy was without a doubt flirting with her.

Rhiannon came out to the table and placing her backpack on the back of a chair took a seat with her coffee. Hazel eyes took the seat opposite her. They sat silently for a couple of moments, just looking at each other. Each took a sip of their drink.

Hazel eyes broke the silence. “Thank you for sitting with me. So…can you tell me about your friend? The one you thought I might be…?”

Hmm, thought Rhi—that’s an odd way to start a negotiation for a date. “That…is a very long story. Maybe too long to tell a stranger…”

“But I have already asked to be considered a potential new friend. And didn’t someone say, “A stranger is a friend I haven’t met yet?”

Will Rogers. Or Yeats… One of Alexander’s favorite quotations.

“My old boyfriend had that quote on his wall…” Nice going Rhi—bring up not one but TWO old X’es…

“He did? But this friend you mistook me for—was another person, correct?”

“More or less…”

“That is…cryptic…”

“So was my friend…”

“So…tell me about him.”

“Uhhh….more “they” than he or she…”

“Your friend was non-binary?”

“Something like that.” Perceptive as well as cute.

“And you and your friend have parted company? You have not seen them in such a time that I could have been this person…”

“We did part company. And…just understand it is very, very complicated…”

“Love usually is…”

Rhiannon nearly burned her tongue on a sip of hot coffee that lost directional control. “Love? Who mentioned love?”

“I did. And you didn’t need to mention it…the love you had for this person is obvious to me.”

Ok. Cute or not, red flags were starting to fly. “I am so sorry…we just met. I shouldn’t be loading all this history and personal drama onto you.”

“No apologies. And I DID ask…”

“Yeah…but…”

“Rhiannon? May I ask a simple but very direct question? The question I have wanted to ask you since I walked in here? Please?”

This guy was the WORST flirt Rhi had spoken to in years. God—even A was better at interacting than this. But—what the hell…if he asks me out, I can always stall for awhile…

“Now I am curious. OK—go ahead.”

“I see that you were hurt—badly hurt by this person.”

“We…hurt each other…”

“Again…love is like that. Is the hurt so bad that you would prefer to leave this person and that relationship in the past? Or would you want to see and talk to your friend again?”

“I would give just about anything to see A again.”

Hazel eyes nodded. “Rhiannon? My name is Landon. I am so pleased to finally meet you. Stories about you and shared memories of you do not do you justice.”

Now—wait one frigging minute here, cutie. Stories? Shared memories? Maybe the radar IS right.

It can’t be…

Never again…right…

Right?

“So…what are you saying? Do you know A? I thought YOU were A but I…Oh my God Landon please don’t mess with me!”

“Dear Rhiannon…I would never intentionally harm you in any way. And now that we know you are willing…” Landon stood. “Would you wait here please? Someone has been anxiously waiting to say hello.”

Landon rose and walked quickly out the front door. Rhiannon sat, heart racing, palms sweating. This could NOT be…this HAS to be some wild misunderstanding.  
A joke? Of the three people to whom Rhi had given the whole story of her and A and the bittersweet saga of dating and hopelessly falling for the bodiless…well—two were hundreds of miles away and the third was…well…permanently unavailable… No one else could have planned this prank—if it was a prank.

It had scarcely been a minute when her woolgathering was interrupted by the old customer bell at the door. A short femme figure had entered and until she was arriving at Rhi’s table, the afternoon sun behind her obscured anything but a silhouette.

Rhiannon tipped her face up. Sun out of the eyes, thank you very much. The girl was standing at Landon’s chair. The face was very familiar. The girl was very small—under five feet tall and quite pretty. Jeans and a comfy blouse, worn, but fashionable. Her eyes and hair were dark. She looked like…

…..a petite cheerleader…

Rhiannon nearly hyperventilated but with great effort she was able to get herself under some semblance of control and greet her new—but not new at all it seemed--guest…

“…..Megan..?”

Megan nodded and sat.


	2. Chapter 2

“Megan..?”

“Yes, Rhiannon—it’s me... Oh my God it is really you…” Words were spilling from Megan like a waterfall. “It’s good to see you—to meet you. But, I guess we meet for the second time—but you wouldn’t think I would remember that though—would you?”

“Uhhh…” Rhi was all but paralyzed. Little Megan. Of course Rhiannon remembered Megan.

‘Today I’m Megan. I am someone who wakes up in a different body every day. Always someone my age, never far from the last, never the same person twice…And I have absolutely no control over any of it…’

But the Megan, now, was still speaking. “Sorry. I ramble when I’m nervous.”

“Me too, sometimes. But—I just don’t understand. Is A here? Do you even know who A is?”

Megan smiled a glorious smile and her eyes twinkled as she gently regarded the girl in front of her. Rhiannon stared into Megan’s eyes and saw…

What?

It was just like with Landon—familiarity…a sense of kinship.

But not A…

Megan was still chattering away. “Oh, yes, A—our non-corporeal mutual friend. A is the reason why I came here to see you. OK—enough mystery for now. Rhiannon I DO know you—I remember the time you and A sat together at the bookstore—the day A kind of ‘came out’ to you. I know I shouldn’t remember that day—since, you know--I wasn’t actually there, but I do… I remember everything about that day—especially meeting you…all because A and I were together that day…”

Rhiannon was struggling, reaching for clarity in the sea of words and recollections. “Yeah…I understand. A was in me for a day—not long after that. I remember much of that day too…but—“

Megan held up a hand. “And yes, I know A—very well in fact. A is here. A is desperate to see you…to reconnect. But they are very, very scared that you are too upset and hurt to meet.”

Megan AND Landon were using the gender neutral pronouns. Maybe…

“That is…ridiculous… Please—I want to see A…” Rhiannon pleaded.

“Of course. Landon and I sort of kidnapped A and brought them here.”

“Uhh…thank you…” What else can you say to that? Kidnapped? What? How in hell do you abduct the non-corporeal?

“You are welcome Rhiannon. But we did it for A as well as for you. And of course for us. A is a major pain in the ass when they are depressed and moping over…well…you…”

Depressed and moping? Well, hell, there is a CURE for that!

“That describes me for much of the last four years too. So—what is the plan here? Is A in Landon? Someone else?”

“Someone else. Can we go somewhere a bit more private? We have a long story to tell you…lots of things to explain…and emotional reunions make me queasy... I always go out for popcorn during the sappy parts of the movie…”

This girl was a trip. It was surreal to met the real her—very different from the A in the body version. “Megan…you are—“

“Weird..?”

“Weird works. I was going to say unique… but you are my kind of crazy. Do you want to come to my apartment? My roommates are out of town this weekend. And—there I have wine…lots of wine. Coffee is not going to do it for me today. I have been hoping to see A again every single day since that day we said goodbye. Or if not see them at least talk on the phone or email…just connect again…”

“Yeah. Let’s make that happen for you both. A was pretty angry with me—Landon too—but I think it’s getting better… And if you will share I would love a glass of wine, too…”

“Of course…let’s go—I guess…” What else was there to say? This chatty girl obviously knew and was in recent contact with A. Megan and Landon were the only tangible leads to A that Rhiannon had found in what seemed like a lifetime.

The girls rose and walked out the front door of the coffee shop. Parked at the curb near the entrance was an old, battered RV and leaning on the passenger side door was a bemused looking Landon. He was still sipping his tea.

“Everything OK, boss?”

“Yeah. Rhiannon and I are going to her apartment to talk some more. Sorry—but big scary guys make her think of her mother’s warnings.”

“But ‘petite cheerleaders’ are perfectly safe I suppose…”

It was bizarre to hear her own words echoed back like this—and four years later. “Has A told you every conversation we ever had in detail?!”

Simultaneously Landon said “Yeah, pretty much…” while Megan denied “No—of course not…”

“Well—which is it..?”

Landon looked at Megan and then back at Rhiannon with an amused smirk on his face.

“Remember when you were telling me that your relationship with A was a very complex story to tell?” Landon asked. Rhiannon nodded. “Well…it hasn’t gotten any simpler…”

Megan laughed.

Landon joined in and then stated, “I would love to be a fly on the wall for the next couple hours—but I’ll get it all later… I’m taking the rig to that RV park we saw as we came into town. Get us set up. See you whenever?”

“Yes…”

They watched Landon start up the RV and pull away from the curb. Rhiannon looked over at Megan and reaching into her bag for her keys, asked, “Sooo…do we…go get A now?”

“Uh…can we head to your place? And A will join us there shortly…”

“Alright. But…you’re kinda killing me here…”

“I know…and I am sorry…but there are just a couple of things that we need to go over before. Is that ok?”

“I guess it has to be. Come on…”

The girls crossed the street to a parking lot and climbed into Rhiannon’s old but beloved Rav4 SUV. The blonde had to move papers, a couple of books and a thankfully empty coffee cup off the passenger seat for Megan to sit. Rhi and her small guest were quiet, each nursing her own thoughts as they belted in and Rhi started the engine and drove toward her place a few blocks away.

Megan broke the silence. “Sooo…”

“Yeah…”

“Four years…”

“A little longer since we met. Or—did we actually meet? You remember that day…”

“I guess officially we just met. But that day A DID introduce us…sorta… I guess it depends on how you feel about it…”

“Uh…hi…I’m Rhiannon—A’s ex-girlfriend. Pleased to meet you…”

“Ok…hi yourself. I’m Megan—A’s current friend, kidnapper, and errand-runner. And I doubt A considers you an X—since A has not dated anyone since you…”

Damn this girl, Rhiannon thought. Dropping these unfiltered comments… “Seriously!!!”

“Watch the road, please!!!”

Rhiannon spun the wheel and pumped the brakes and avoided a fender contact by an abundant thirty inches. “Uh, yeah, sorry. A has not been with anyone for four years!!??”

“A has not romantically pursued and connected with anyone like you…”

“That was diplomatic. But I guess I’m not surprised. It took us long enough to negotiate our…well… Maybe A told you all about …everything … We’re here…” Rhiannon pulled the old Toyota into her apartment complex and parked.

In just a moment, the girls were entering Rhi’s apartment on the second floor. As they entered and after Rhiannon had tossed her backpack on a credenza near the door and dropped her keys into a metal dish on top the blonde girl sniffed the air and commented, “Sorry about the smell. My roommate was supposed to change my cat’s litter box before she left—we traded some chores…”

“No worries…I sometimes sleep in that RV with Landon, Avery and a couple of others…a little cat pee is nothing.”

“You guys really drive around in that—but do you LIVE in it?”

“Oh, no…just a convenience. You must remember how it goes. We get a call some morning—‘Hi I am four hours away in a little Asian gal named Ling—please come get me… or…Help, my host is stoned out of his mind and has strep throat…can we find an urgent care..?”

“And I thought I had it difficult…” Rhiannon had tended to the smelly chore and now was washing her hands at her kitchen sink.

“Well, there is more—but that is part of what we need to discuss.”

“Ok. Let’s talk. Sit. Wine?”

“Yes, please.”

“Bathroom in there if you need it…” Rhiannon went to her refrigerator as Megan sat on the living room futon—unsurprisingly also covered in books and papers. The décor was usual college student chic or as it is called, Modern American Goodwill. The rugs needed shampooing, the furniture pieces looked old and second-hand, and the artwork on the walls was very academic in origin. Someone who lived here was a pre-med or nursing student, judging by the medical and anatomic reference posters. The Socrates and Freud posters must have been Rhiannon’s contribution. A large tabby cat suddenly jumped up into Megan’s lap.

“Well hello there. Greetings your Highness…have I stolen your throne?” The cat responded to Megan’s overtures and grudgingly accepted a stroking of the ears. Looking at the cat hair on the dark futon cover, it seemed Megan had indeed stolen the cat’s favorite location.

“Sorry about him… He isn’t usually this nice to visitors. Is white ok?”

Megan nodded and Rhiannon handed her a glass. Before coming back over, she pulled a bag of cat food from a cabinet and filled the royal liege’s bowl. Hearing the tinkling sound of the food hitting the bowl, Alexander turbo launched toward his supper inflicting minimal damage to the launch pad—Megan’s lap.

Megan sipped her wine. “What’s his name?”

Rhiannon returned and with her own wine glass sat in a chair across from her guest. “Alexander…”

There was a long pause, of the type often referred to as the pregnant variety. Finally Rhiannon spoke, “I assume A told you about Alexander…and I don’t mean the cat…”

“Yes, of course… Are you—“

“Hmmm?”

“Still seeing Alexander?”

Rhiannon looked down. “No…that is something I need to talk to A about…”

“Hmmm—“ 

“Ask your questions, alright? Let’s get this over with.”

“I didn’t mean to make you mad…” Megan seemed genuinely sorry.

“I am less mad and more—frustrated. I’m like a refugee from the desert and you’re dangling the canteen of water just out of my reach. I understand you need to ask me these things and report to A, so let’s do it. Ok?”

“Ok…sorry. Are you seeing anyone now..?”

“No. I am single...have been for awhile now…”

“So…four years ago—when A left you—“

“We kinda left each other—“

“When A convinced you of—well—everything—you were hurt. I have to wonder if we are re-opening old wounds for you both. My first question is--are you able to forgive A?”

“I have to say, any hurt that we visited on each other was completely mutual. We talked it over… And we were both sixteen for God’s sake… The future for us—as much as we wanted it—was pretty bleak-looking. We both had to grow up and figure things out. I just hoped—oh, how I hoped that as the years passed, A would reach out to me and we would just…” Rhiannon waved her arms in the air trying to express her feelings coherently. “Yes—forgiving A is not a problem.“ Rhiannon brushed her long hair back from her head in a rough gesture. “More wine?”

Megan looked down at her glass and was a bit surprised to find it empty. Rhiannon collected the bottle and refilled both their glasses.

“So…are you and A a couple? Or is Landon with A?”

“No…we are…very close…but no, we are not together like that. Does that make you feel any better..?”

“Yeah, a little I guess…”

“So the relationship ended, you two never reconnected…and now you are what? We covered the hurt… Are you angry at A..?”

“Uhhh…well—yeah. All these years and not even an email? I want an explanation…”

“You will get it…that I can promise…”

“So…Megan. What else? I will endure this Q and A as long as I must but can we make this march already?”

“Yes. A last question then.”

“Go on…”

“I did this. For as long as I have known them, A has had only one dream, one desire: to see you. Yes I made A come but understand A would have willingly run whatever host had the longest legs over here on bare feet long, long ago, if it were not for a sick dread that you were too hurt, too angry, too over the whole metaphysical nonsense you had to endure to be in A’s life… So my question—or my challenge is this: I am responsible for this reunion. I am sitting here, begging all the gods and goddesses that what I am doing doesn’t screw you or A up permanently. If anything goes wrong, blame me. Not A, not yourself, not Landon, not anyone…just me!”

“Alright…” Despite the situation, Rhiannon could not help but be impressed. The little thing had spun steel under those prom queen looks. But where was she going with this?

“Convince me that putting A in front of you is the best thing for you both.”

That was it. Something in the young blonde girl snapped. Somewhere nearby was the bodiless spirit that was her one true love in the entire world. That slender ribbon of connection she had so often wished for was now here. She was going to grasp it, pull on it, and if need be follow it into the burning pits of Hell. Rhiannon put her wine down on the chair side table and getting up, walked to her purse on the credenza. Collecting something from inside she turned back to Megan and held it out.

Her cell phone…

“Megan… I am angry and I am hurt, yes. It has been four very long years. Some great things have happened to me and some awful things too. But the most heartbreaking thing I have had to endure is not being able to share any of it with A… I have emailed hundreds of times. I have grabbed at every tiny thread of a connection to that infuriating soul so often… I have stared into the eyes of strangers looking for that special spark I would see that told me—every single time—that this was who A was today… Over and over, year after year I looked and saw—the eyes of strangers… And all I needed was just a…whisper…in the noise of life… An email…a text…” She shook the cell phone …”...a voice on the phone…anything…

“I understand you are protecting A. I would do the same. But you have to see that I am dying inside here. Please…please…take this and call A—whoever A happens to be today and tell them I love them with all my heart. Tell them that I have had a huge raw hole inside me for four years that nothing could heal and no one could fill. Hell—just put A on the goddam phone and I will tell them myself. Megan please…just dial the phone and get A here.” Rhiannon’s voice was quavering and she was starting to weep. But she was not backing down…

Megan was quiet long enough to blow out a held breath and wipe two fat tears from her eyes. She took a big sip of her wine and put down the glass, the gazed up at a frantic Rhiannon.

So very quietly she said, “I don’t need the phone. A is here.”

“That’s…not possible…”

“It is…”

Déjà vu… 

“Where?”

“Right here…with us… A has heard everything you just said…”

Rhiannon looked around. No one else was in the apartment, she was certain of that. “What—in my cat?! Not in me—I am wide awake. Not in you—I can see you are Megan… And A can’t be inside either of us… You and I--we had our turn. Never the same person twice—that’s the rules…”

“Rules are meant to be overcome—adapted—changed…”

“I am so confused…”

“I know Rhiannon and I am sorry for that. We have so much more to explain and show you—but enough for now. No more games. No more waiting. Please, come sit over here with me. “

Megan took Rhiannon’s hands, gently pulled her to the futon and sat facing her. Sitting knees to knees the smaller, dark haired girl sighed deeply and whispered, “Abracadabra…” and closed her eyes.

A half a minute passed. Then another thirty seconds. Megan appeared to be talking but she was speaking so very softly that Rhiannon could not make out a single word. Rhi’s heart was pounding and her hands held tightly in Megan’s were hot and damp. Rhiannon thought she felt a tiny shiver in Megan.

Suddenly, softly…Megan opened her eyes and looked directly into Rhiannon’s.

Something…had changed.

Four long years of disappointments, doubt and sorrow faded into memory in an instant. Joy was dawning on the horizon found in those eyes. Rhiannon’s superpower was never gone…it was just never needed…

Until now…

Never again…

Quiet as a breath, as soft as kiss, never again…became…now…

Now…

Megan’s dark blue/brown eyes were no longer the eyes of the little mouthy college girl and former cheerleader.

A was sitting next to Rhiannon. A was holding her hands. A was looking directly into her eyes as they had done many times years ago.   
After so many days apart…A was close enough to touch. A and Rhiannon were together.

They were touching.

They were together.

A pain in her heart she had denied, then embraced, and finally accepted for so long ceased, and Rhiannon started to weep at the sheer joy of its cessation.

“Hey…”

“Hey…”


	3. Chapter 3

“Oh my God…A…”

“Rhiannon…”

The blonde girl threw her arms around the shorter girl and hugged her tightly. Rhiannon hugged A. And A hugged back.

“I missed you so much!” They said it together. They chuckled and hugged again.

“A…” Rhiannon all but sang the name.

“Thank you…for everything you said. And I am sorry Megan raked you over the coals… She is rather protective…”

“Yeah… It is really you…” Rhiannon pulled back and looked A in the eyes.

Ping… There it was. The famous, long lost and mourned super ability.

“It’s me. Oh my God, Rhiannon… Please, please, please forgive me…for—everything. I was trying to—“

“Protect me…I know…” Rhiannon soothed.

“I started a hundred emails to you—and twice as many texts… I just had this image in my thoughts of you happy and content without me and I just couldn’t mess that up…”

Rhiannon shook her head—not angry—just frustrated at lost time. “You should have trusted me—known that I would never turn away and push you from my life if you reached out…”

“I…have no excuse…I was just trying to do the right thing…”

What a perfectly A thing to say. Rhiannon sighed and answered, “I tried too…”

“Yeah—I had to close those accounts…long story…”

Rhiannon looked A/Megan in the eyes for a long moment. Her joy at this reunion exceeded every dream, every fantasy, every late night longing. Rhiannon looked in those dark blue/brown eyes and she saw…

A.

There was not a shred of doubt. It felt good to know that her ability was always there—that she had NOT imagined it.

Rhiannon pulled A/Megan into another embrace and spoke softly right into their ear: “I never stopped loving you. Never. Not for a minute…”

And A replied, “And my love for you only got stronger…” As they pulled back, but still close enough to feel each others’ breath on their faces, they simply held on and stared. Rhiannon played with Megan’s long dark hair.

Rhiannon asked, softly, “May I kiss you?”

“Yes, please.”

“Would Megan mind?”

A laughed. “I can pretty much guarantee she will not mind…”

There was no hesitancy as in days past when A had occupied a girl and wished to show affection for Rhiannon. The two old loves moved their faces together very slowly and only closed eyes in that instant before two pairs of parted, anxious lips met. They kissed. The sensation was electric. It was nostalgic and altogether new at the same time.

They sighed and some tension floated out of the room. They were back together. The love was still there. Many of the emotional walls each had feared for so long were dissolving or had never been present at all. They were together and communicating and sharing just as if four years had not separated them.

“Hello. I have missed you so much…” A said again, wistfully.

“Me too… Four damn years! I should hit you…” Rhi kidded.

“I hope you won’t—Megan might object to being hit—“ A gazed off in a random direction for an instant and looking back at Rhi said, “--Make that official—Megan objects…please don’t hit us, she says…”

“I won’t…I was kidding… But… She…is talking to you? You two are…what? Sharing the body?”

“Exactly that…sharing. Willing cooperation on who is in control at any moment… Except when I am being kidnapped that is…”

“That’s…wow!”

“I have a lot to tell you.”

“Me too…so much has happened in four years…”

“How are you? Are you OK? Are you at least a little bit happy?”

“I am much happier now. But, yeah—after you left things were ok for a while. I poured myself back into school. Alexander and I…well—you started that.”

“I didn’t have the heart to leave you alone. And I thought I had figured out what you needed…wanted…” A explained.

“You dumbass. I needed and wanted YOU.”

“I know…but the more I thought about it…”

“I know, I know…anything long term for us had disaster written all over it.” This was an old discussion that had been settled—so sadly but so completely--that last day they had shared.

“So…” A gently squeezed the blonde girl’s hands.

“So. Doesn’t change the fact that I don’t love you any less than the day I first told you I love you. And that every single day I have missed you more and more. Even if all we could have had was a friendship…to talk to you…share my life with you in some small way…”

“I hoped…I felt you deserved a clean break…” A confessed.

“I know. I know your choices came from a place of love. So did mine.”

“Doesn’t make it any easier…” A/Megan’s eyes were damp with emotion.

Rhiannon ran her hands backward through her hair in a rough gesture. She could easily cry too if this continued.

“Stop, stop… We are…just saying the same things over and over again. The past is…gone. We are here, now. Can we—not start over—but maybe—start again? Be in each others’ lives and…see what happens?”

“You are still as wise as you are beautiful. I would like that very much…”

Megan/A initiated a kiss this time. It was more intense and filled with compassion and forgiveness—at least until a certain ignored member of the household decided he was not getting sufficient attention and inserted himself with climbing claws and indignant meows into their midst.

With a cat in their laps, the girls had to separate a bit. A laughed and stroked their interruption with good natured humor.

“So…does Alexander mind that you named your cat after him…?”

Rhiannon sighed and reached back behind her and recovered her wine glass. There was only a little remaining but she swallowed, put the glass down and retook A’s hands before sadly replying. “No. He doesn’t. A…uh…” Time to bite the bullet on this one, Rhi thought. “A… Alexander…died…”

“What?!’ The reply was loud and sudden enough that feline Alexander jumped down and headed into the kitchen.

Rhiannon nodded, sadly. She looked down at their held hands in her lap. “He never told me he had been sick when he was a kid. Leukemia. I never saw it coming… Suddenly he was telling me that he was no longer in remission and a few weeks later he went to the hospital in the middle of the night. I stayed with him as much as I could--we had been planning a trip of some sort…and we kept talking about that. I brought him his homework. We’d sit and read and do homework together. Watch movies. He just got weaker and weaker. Then one night he was very tired and sick…he told me to go home and he’d be better the next day…promised we’d have wheelchair races in the hall and piss off the nurses. The next day… he was dead.”

Megan’s face was profoundly expressive. The grief was palpable. “Rhiannon… I… I am sorrier than you can know…”

“A…Alexander getting sick wasn’t your fault. And he and I WERE happy together for a while. You know--I finally told him everything. All of it—all of our story…and how he was a part of it…”

“Wow. And…he believed you..?”

She nodded.

They took a minute to let the weight of the memory pass. There were some tears for their lost friend. A saw a box of tissues on an end table and handed one to Rhi…and took one themself.

“Alright A…tell me how is all this possible. How did the rules change—‘never the same person twice...’ You and Megan?”

“And Landon…and a couple of others.”

“Is this how they know so much about me…about us?”

A nodded. “When I share one of their bodies they share my consciousness and my memories. It’s like in the past when I could access a host person’s memories but when it’s cooperative like with them the experience is far more detailed and intense…and, of course, it goes both ways…”

“Holy crap! But when you are in control I can see it is still YOU in there. I was getting…something on my sonar when I met Landon and Megan…but it wasn’t the same. I was terrified all these years that I was losing it—thinking I had lost my superpower forever…” A raised an eyebrow. “Seeing you in whatever body you were in…all I had to do was—“

“Look me in the eye…I remember…”

Rhiannon let go of Megan/A’s hands and they both settled back, side by side on the futon. “Ok…tell me everything. Start back at the beginning. OH! Unless Megan—or you—have to be somewhere…”

“Nope—we are a happy kidnapper and even happier victim. No other plans today but you…”

“Good.”

“OK. The beginning. About six months after we said goodbye I was in New York. It was just as we planned—lots of bodies to occupy. I was on a mission to learn something new about my situation every single day—with every host. And I was trying to help my people…leave marks as you said. Do right by them.   
“I was lots of college students of course. And when I could, I took advantage of that. Just like you I was looking for answers and perspective. I sat thru lectures and audited the occasional class when I had back to back students at the same school.”

“What sort of subjects?”  
“Philosophy…the nature of existence. Comparative theology—looking at the composition of the soul—that seminar was fascinating—team taught by a Humanist, a Jesuit and a Rabbi. Psychology—various theories about person-hood and identity…”

“Sounds like you’ve been rummaging around in my backpack…”

“I haven’t—but—I admit…we did score a peek at your transcripts…”

“Sneaky bastards…”

“We were looking for a clue that you just might want to see me again… And, well—Landon and Megan—“

“They both mentioned something—they kinda dragged you into all this…right?”

“I was a coward. Lucky for us—Megan is not. I think in her former life she was a Gryffindor…”

“She does leave one with that impression. Oh! Can she hear us? Hear me?”

“Yes. Every word…though she IS trying to give us some privacy. And not doing too good a job of it…”

“I see. Megan? “

“She is tickled you are talking to her. Hold on a second—time for show and tell.”

A held Rhiannon’s left hand with their right one. Megan/A’s left hand was placed on the futon. “Now—watch the magic…”

As A concentrated and occasionally gently squeezed Rhiannon’s held hand, A’s other arm was motionless on the futon cushion.

Until…the hand slowly was raised and the hand…waved…at Rhiannon.

“That’s not me doing that. Megan is saying hi. And thank you…”

“That…that…that is…”

“Really cool, right.” A and Megan were acting like kids showing off the new toy. The fingers kept waving, and then did the ‘ok’ sign. Rhiannon tentatively reached for the Megan-controlled hand. It gently met and held the blonde girl’s. “Just wait until we show you the right side/left side trick…”

“Megan—thank you. I can’t say thank you enough for dragging this butt back to me…I owe you big time.”

A again gazed at nothing for a moment and then laughed. “She says, ‘no charge as long as you refill this wine glass…’ I am still not much of a drinker—but Megan…”

Rhiannon giggled and got up and collected the wine bottle. She refilled both of their glasses and offering a toast she sat back down. A appeared to be back in control of both arms as they cradled their wine glass with both hands. Rhiannon slid an arm around Megan/A and hugged her tightly for just an instant.

“That feels so good…to hug you again, A…”

“It does. And I am surprised…”

Rhiannon raised her brows as she sipped wine—a question.

“You. Uh…how do I say this…me being in a girl’s body doesn’t seem to bother you. Not like it once did.”

Rhiannon nodded. “I guess I got over my issues…my prejudices. I did a lot of thinking after you left. Added some new ideas and several new friends to my life… Plus-- I have missed you so much you could be sitting here in an aardvark and I would still want to hold you…”

“Haven’t exactly traveled with many sloth-like creatures so far—but, tomorrow, you never know…”

Rhiannon laughed and reached over and planted a firm kiss on Megan/A’s lips. “A…I got over it. Back to story time.”

“Alright. I was at Columbia University waiting in line at the bookstore. My person that day had some errands there and I wanted a copy of the course outline of one the classes I audited. I was not paying attention to much of anything and the person behind me dropped her coat. I reached down to pick it up and was face to face with none other than—“

“Oh my god. Megan…”

“Yep. Full time student there. Very surprising, being so far from Maryland—I didn’t expect to see an old acquaintance—much less one I was in when sharing time with you.  
“I was startled but I tried to cover it up. Just act like my host. Next thing I know a certain little individual with the big soulful eyes was staring me down. And I mean STARING right into my face—like this!” 

A demonstrated the facial expression.

Rhiannon laughed. A continued: “Scared me shitless. Then she just asked, ‘Well hello—tell me…how did things end up with that girl, Rhiannon? Did she ever believe you..?’ ”

Rhi nearly choked on a swallow of wine. “No…way…”

“Uh…yeah… Of course I tried to play it cool. Not something I am ever any good at. I politely denied knowing her and such. Megan just nodded and kept saying things like, ‘I know it’s you…I should be furious but I’m not…’ and, ‘OK, are we done bullshitting now? You used me like a wind-up doll—the least you can do is tell me—DID YOU GET THE GIRL!?’ ”

A was animated, recreating meeting Megan with the brunette’s own face and expressions. Rhiannon laughed joyously. Soon A joined in.

“Megan—you are so cool.”

“I agree. So does Megan. Anyway we sat for hours at the Student Union and talked. She remembered the whole day. You, me…my sloppy efforts at ‘coming out’ to you. She wasn’t upset…just curious and genuinely interested in our crazy story…”

“Wow… So—any idea of why she of all your hosts before…” Rhi just held up her hands in a gesture of huh?

“We have some working theories. And a couple are Megan’s story to tell—not mine. But, my feeling is—that was a VERY emotional day for me. You were the first person I had EVER told my story…I had been planning for days how to tell you. I woke up in Megan that day—she was close to you and had a car. And I was caught with the whole Nathan is NOT Steve’s cousin thing—I needed to…tell you something. And I didn’t want to lie to you anymore. Anyway—that was the most scared I had ever been. I practiced what to say to you over and over. I even picked out clothes similar to what you liked to wear to seem more approachable. I think—and Megan agrees—that my emotional state made the memories more intense. All the drama of that day triggered more in Megan’s body—her memories--than an average day in any other host would…”

“Maybe that explains our time together too. That was a super emotional day…”

“More terrifying. Even being as careful as I could, I was certain the day after you would kick me out of your life forever…”

“Well…I didn’t...and I never will. So what happened next with you and Megan?”

“Well…we hung out often. Became close friends actually. She always got the biggest kick out of my showing up in a new body each day. I told her my life story and she told me hers. It was so wonderful to have a friend again—someone to talk to. Your advice about leaving a mark in the world kept echoing in my mind—and what better way than to share my life and my experiences with someone. And…she was always asking about you… She kept asking me why I left you since it made me miserable and all I could say was I love you and didn’t want to mess your life up. Ok…here is the amazing part: A couple of months later I woke up in the body of one of her neighbors in the dormitory. It was a treat to be right there together. It was Friday night and we—well—we had a little party and got drunk. Actually we got very drunk. Megan has a high tolerance and so did Annie the neighbor—but that night, we pushed the envelope…”

“It’s funny to imagine you drunk…"

“It wasn’t as funny to experience…The last thing I clearly remember was Megan and I and Jell-O shots and the bathtub in Annie’s room.”

“Oh my God… A!!!!”

“The next thing I knew it was morning…I am sick, have a raging headache and Annie is back to being a very ticked off Annie…and she is screaming, ‘Megan! Get your drunk ass out of my room!!’ I am moaning and telling Megan to listen to Annie and wake up. And then I looked down at my little hands and little feet and even with a killer hangover I could see…well—“ A just shrugged and pointed to Megan’s body.

“But…”

“I know…never the same person twice. But now—that rule is long past. Anyway I made my way back to Megan’s room, choked down some juice and ibuprofen and started moaning about the headache, the bright lights from the windows…all the usual hangover punishments. And a very clear voice in my head starts hollering, ‘Shut the fuck UP, A…I am sick…’ And Megan and I had our second day together but first co-habitation day. Miserable. Cool as hell, but miserable. Even as sick as we were, I could tell this was not a usual connection. I could hear her, she could hear me. Clarity regarding our situation was NOT to be found—not that day. We both suffered the hangover equally. I popped out of her at midnight and found her the next day…and we talked about it in detail each day for a full week. We made a plan and decided to try an experiment. That following weekend I was some local guy. We went to a public place and waited until midnight and just held hands and concentrated like crazy. Suddenly a gentle push, and it’s 12:01 and Megan and I are back together and local guy is really enjoying holding her hand—our hand. We gave him a fairly gentle brush off and went home.”

“Holy crap…”

“We kept trying new things…connecting and disconnecting at different times of the day…me staying for more than 24 hours… Soon we figured out that if I let go control of her body, Megan took back over and vice versa. Sight, sound—all the senses are always shared whoever talks and makes the arms and legs move. We would sit and have whole conversations as simple thoughts—no words were needed. We explored each others’ memories for hours at a time. It has been intense…surreal…and it has changed me forever…”

Rhiannon, as fascinated as she was, looked crestfallen. A stopped and put a hand on her face. “What is it?”

Rhi struggled to put her emotions into words. “I…I guess I am…jealous? You and Megan share a connection that…cannot be defined. You two…”

“Are the closest of friends… And I love her, yes. And I love Landon…and some people you have yet to meet. They have all become my family in the last four years. But the core of my family—the complete family I hope and pray to someday have…my reason for existing…is you…”

“Me..?”

“You. Now that we are back together I know why I have learned and experimented and sought out these amazing people to share my life… It is all because of you… I spent the last four years learning to wield some control over my existence…so to make things better for me, sure—but more importantly—the people I love. If only I could have figured this out sooner. I am sorry I took so long…”

“No more apologies, A…we owe each other too many and I want to enjoy now.”

“Me, too…”

“So…Landon?”

“A somewhat simpler story. I still put myself ‘in the air’ as Megan calls it. My journeys are a part of who I am. And Megan and Landon and Avery all need days off of course. Body sharing is exhausting… Well one day I woke up in this nice man named Landon. He is a prep chef at a Manhattan restaurant. Megan and I spent some time learning about him and his life. He is sweet, big-hearted, and spiritual. And as you saw, he has a very off-kilter sense of humor…”

Rhiannon had laid her head on Megan/A’s shoulder.

“Sweet girl? You must be exhausted. Didn’t you have class and work all day..?”

“Yeah but I am ok for now. I want to hear more…”

“Alright…but rest there…”

“Ok… How did you learn all that about Landon in just a day?”

“Well…Megan is studying Journalism at Columbia. She just pretended to be doing a feature on unknown chefs of New York and we walked around and she interviewed his coworkers and friends…”

“I see…”

“Yeah…Megan and her reporters’ pad have come in handy many times. So we talked about the risks and benefits of extending an offer of friendship and decided it was worth a chance. I had worked very hard to leave myself as open to Landon as possible. That day I told him over and over things like: ‘Hey there fella—my name is A. And I am sorry I have co-opted your body but don’t worry, it is just for one day. Maybe when today is done, we can be friends…but it is totally up to you, OK?’ So—here we were again, 11:59 and I leave Landon gently for a controlled jump into Megan. Then—after the disorientation wears off we just…talk to him…”

“As Landon said earlier—I would love to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation…”

“It was actually funny and sad and sweet. For the first hour we were together Landon kept asking, ‘Where is A?’ And Megan and I kept telling him—I was right there—inside Megan. We were at his restaurant after closing and while we talked he made us one of the most delicious meals I have ever enjoyed. We had done it—met him as a random host but we had made a new friend. It was only four months later that Landon had a heart to heart with Megan one day when I was elsewhere and asked how he could join the family officially. We tried to talk him out of it. We were unsure what the long term risks might be. Landon was having none of that. He wanted to see what it was like to share the experience fully… Megan coached him for hours at a time…how to be a host. She taught him everything she had learned in all our joinings. Finally…we three were as ready and as prepared as possible. We didn’t even wait for midnight. I jumped from Megan into Landon at 9 in the morning…”

Rhiannon head still resting on Megan/A’s shoulder had gone limp. Her eyes had been drooping for some time and now were closed. A stopped talking and just smiled down at the sleeping face that they loved more than any other. A’s incorporeal heart was full and content.

A whispered, “…and they all lived happily ever after…I hope…”

Twenty some minutes and a few quiet snores later there was a gentle, mental tingle of hello.

*Well, A..?

**Megan…you done good…

*Yeah, I know…

**Thank you, little one… You were right. Remind me to trust you the next time I doubt your insights…

*Oh, I will… You should always do as I say…

**Well…Jell-o shots aside…

*(giggle) Yeah… You should help her to bed. Between my third degree interrogation and your happy reunion—on top of her full day of classes and work—she is exhausted…

**(sigh) I know. This is just the most perfect moment… I don’t want it to end…

*I feel it too… She really is special, isn’t she..?

**(wordless happy sigh of agreement)

*…yeah… Goodnight, A…I love you.

**I love you too, Megan. Sleep well…

 

Some unmeasured time later Rhi stirred.

“Rhiannon?”

“Hmmmm?”

“Let me help you to bed…”

“I’m not tired…”

“Rhi—you dozed off over an hour ago…”

“No…”

“No, what?”

“Don’t want to fall asleep…”

“Why--?”

“Maybe all this is a dream… I fall asleep—I wake up—you gone again—jus’ a dream…”

“Not a dream my dear.”

Megan/A helped Rhiannon to her room and sitting her on her bed reached down and slid her shoes off. Pulling back the messy blankets, A tucked Rhi in.  
Rhiannon caught the hand that was lingering on the blanket and gently tugged.

“Stay with me? Please..?”

“Alright…”

A walked around to the other side of the bed and kicking off their own shoes slid under the covers. Rhiannon rolled over and pulled Megan’s little body close to her own and whispered, “I got you…please never leave me again..?”

“Never… Now…sleep. Goodnight Rhiannon…I love you so much.”

“Love you too…Goodnight, A. Goodnight, Megan…”


	4. Chapter 4

Rhiannon was having pleasant, enjoyable dreams for the first time in months.

In her dreams-time, she and Megan were enjoying a warm summer day in a huge park. The girls were lounging on a blanket, wearing loose comfy sundresses and snacking on tempting tidbits from a picnic basket. Somewhere nearby—of course non-corporeal but still nearby—was A…commenting teasingly on just how much cold lemonade the girls could drink with their picnic lunch. Megan of course was protesting it wasn’t JUST lemonade in that thermos… Landon was nearby, tossing a Frisbee with some persons unseen and hollering that he had made that picnic for all of them, so save him something…

As nice as the sunshine felt on her face, her arms, Rhiannon was realizing that finding the bathroom—and soon—was becoming an urgent errand. While Megan held out a container of devilled eggs, A was still teasing, this time bragging about their own lack of bladder…

Rhiannon woke up, silly grin still on her lips from the funny dream. The two—or was it three—glasses of wine from earlier were—in the waking world-- pressing meanly on her bladder and that was not funny. She was still wrapped snugly in Megan/A’s arms. In fact, they were still cuddled face to face, legs tangled up like spaghetti; it seemed neither had moved at all since falling asleep.

Rhiannon’s stirring prompted her bed partner to open their eyes.

“A…?” Another, slightly more awake peek at the dark eyes only inches from her own prompted a quick correction: “Sorry…hi Megan…”

“How’ja know..?”

“Super power is back…”

“Hmmm… A is asleep. So am I…” Megan cat-stretched without letting Rhiannon completely loose from their shared cuddle.

“Just how I would like to be—but hydraulics is a cruel science…”

“Oh…OH!!! Sorry…” Megan gently, reluctantly, untangled from her toasty warm bed partner and as Rhi headed quickly to the bathroom Megan collected her cell phone from the bedside table. Rhiannon could see the glow of the screen from the bathroom as she gratefully peed.

“Well…shit…”

“Megan? What’s wrong..?” Rhiannon came back to the bed.

“Landon texted an hour ago. We have a small emergency with Avery, one of our other willing hosts. Landon is outside to collect A and go take care of it.”

“Wow… Sounds bad. How can I help?”

Megan looked up from the text she was sending and smiled ear to ear. “You just did… Our little family is a mess, but we are lovable…” Megan did the brief unfocused gaze that Rhi was learning indicated an internal conversation. “A is awake… We are gonna do this swap-a-do and then…well, I hope to get some more sleep… Just a second…”

Megan stared into the air in front of her for a few seconds and quickly her demeanor and her eyes changed.

“Hey Rhiannon…” Ping. A-detecting sonar fully functional and on-line. Rhiannon smiled.

“Hi A…did you sleep ok?”

“Well enough. Not so for poor Megan I’m afraid. I am sorry about all this. I am back in your life less than a day and already causing stupid drama. I humbly apologize…” A was up and heading for the living room. Rhiannon followed.

“A…a little late night drama is par for the course for any family-- I don’t mind, really. Should I throw on some less rumpled clothes and make coffee?”

“No need. Landon will be here any second and after I jump hosts to him we will go pick up Avery in the RV. We should be back here later tomorrow—well, today I guess. Dare I ask another favor though?”

“Ask…”

“Megan. Can she stay with you while we are gone? She has put up with my company for almost a week and cohabiting for that long can be very draining on my donor. She desperately needs some down time.”

“Of course. Megan—you are welcome to stay here. A…is this—uh—dangerous?”

“No…just an errand to pick up a friend.”

“At two in the morning?”

“I didn’t say it was a convenient errand…” A replied, sheepishly.

“Ok…I am too sleepy to drill it out of you now.” Rhi walked over and gathered A/Megan in her arms.

“You…be…careful, please. Whatever this is. I just got you back and I will be very unhappy if I have to wait another four years to see you again.”

“I will move mountains if I must to stay near you. You are why all of this is possible. I wanted to find a way to stay near—“

There was a soft, but insistent knock on the apartment door. Alexander jumped up from his sleep spot on the futon and ran tail high and righteously indignant into one of the empty rooms.

“Landon.” Megan/A commented.

Rhiannon went and opened the door and indeed there was a sleepy-looking, hazel eyed young man in jeans and wrinkled red t-shirt.

“Hi all. Miss Rhiannon… Sorry boss…”

“Can’t be helped…we did promise to have his back…” A answered. A/Megan walked over and hugged Landon. The height difference was amusing as Landon was easily six-four and little Megan did not crack five feet. As Rhiannon was smiling over this, she realized—they were going to swap bodies. Here. And now.

She was utterly fascinated. To hear about it was one thing, but to WATCH the transfer…she couldn’t imagine what that might look like to an observer. She mused—should she go get her cell phone and video it? Get a notebook and record observations, scientifically? Had she been more awake…

“Uh…guys? Will you tell me when…I mean, give me a countdown—or something so I can—“

Megan let Landon go and as Rhiannon looked both her new friends in their eyes she realized…

Too late. Missed it.

Without a doubt, A was in Landon. Megan—an exhausted-looking Megan was back to herself and she went to the futon and sat heavily.

“Sorry Rhiannon—“ Landon/A said. “You are right, we should have made it—“

“More dramatic? More Harry Potter or Reverse of the Jedi or something for Rhiannon’s benefit?” Megan chimed in, and then yawned.

“Yeah…we should have. Rhiannon? May I call you later? Megan can give you all our numbers, emails, and such…”

Rhiannon had quickly run to her fridge and now was back with a bottle of water and a canned iced coffee in a plastic grocery bag. “Of course, you better. But—do you think you are getting out of here without at least hugging me goodbye? Or is Landon bashful?”

“No…he is not.”

A/Landon came over and after sliding the bag onto an arm gave Rhi a huge embrace. “I made a promise to someone I consider family…that is the only reason I am leaving your side tonight…”

“You wouldn’t be you if not for those kind of promises…and I love you for that. See you soon…” Rhiannon sighed and whispered only for A’s (and Landon’s) ears: “Tall, slim, nice shoulders…a girl could get used to this…”

Landon must have provided the beet-red blush as A pecked Rhiannon on the forehead, whispered, “I love you, too,” and left the apartment. Running her hands through her hair with a heavy sigh, Rhi locked the apartment door.

“I am sorry too…”

A glowingly happy Rhiannon turned and saw a rather unhappy Megan sitting on the futon, looking as if she might burst into tears. “What on earth for, Megan?”

“I wanted this reunion to be—wonderful—for both you and A. No stress, no drama. Just two old loves brought back together with a little help from friends…”

“And how do you figure you missed the mark on this? A stranger who woke up my super-radar walks up to my counter and orders tea. He is super cute and I just think he wants my number. Now a certain petite cheerleader…who I never thought I would ever see or speak to again…and she is just as adorable…enters and wraps a big bow around every reunion daydream I have had for four years! I got A back in my life—and a bonus—he brought you guys along…”

“It…should have been just you two…”

“Uhhh…Megan…have you met A? They need a little…ya know, HELP in the old body department…”

Megan nodded and put her face into her hands for a minute. She sighed loudly, looked back up and said, “True enough. I am beat down tired. A is right…we overdid it. I overdid it. I wouldn’t let A go or take over the driver’s seat of my body until I got you two in a room together. This had to happen without a stumble and that took a lot out of me… I don’t think I realized just how much until now…”

“A came, but kicking and screaming..?”

“Not that bad…but…yeah…”

“You need anything? Something to eat or drink?” Megan shook her head.

“Ok…coming?”

“Uh…where?”

“Back to bed silly…”

“Oh—I can sleep out here…”

Rhiannon looked at Megan as one would gaze at person who just asserted that one plus one is equal to six.

“Why would you want to sleep here?”

“To give you some privacy…”

“Megan—did I do or say something wrong? Offend you in some way?”

“No! No, of course not, Rhi…”

“We just spent half the night sharing my bed. What has changed?”

“You spent that time sleeping with A.”

“I slept with A—AND—with you. Package deal. I told you BOTH goodnight, remember? And A is off rescuing this Avery person and asked me to look after you while they are gone. Make sure you rest. How am I accomplishing that if I make you sleep on a hard futon covered in cat hair and spilled wine?”

“I guess I see your point…but—I dunno-- I don’t want to…force a level of intimacy I—by myself—haven’t actually earned… Does that make sense?”

“I suppose. But you’re still not sleeping on that!” Rhiannon chewed her lower lip and studied a near-tears Megan. Something was going on with her new friend and Rhiannon in her two AM tired state was not seeing it clearly.

“Please don’t cry…”

“I’m so sorry—I get super emotional when I’m this tired… And it is an unfortunate side effect of voluntary hosting. The tiredness and the emotional spikes after coming back to being just-- myself can be really annoying…”

Rhiannon went to the kitchen and was back in less than half a minute with a glass of cold water. She handed it to Megan and watched as the smaller girl drank most of it one swallow.

“Are you sure you’re not thirsty—or hungry?”

“Uh…”

“I figured… Any dietary preferences?”

“Dead and or moving slowly..?”

“We can do that…”

In a rather short time Rhiannon had Megan sit at the small nook table in the apartment kitchen and put a plate in front of her with a glass of juice. The middle of the night meal she served them both was eggs on thick toast with avocado slices.

Megan hungrily ate every crumb of her meal in about five minutes. When Rhi was done just a few minutes later they just sat looking at one another.

“Thank you…I guess I was starving…” Megan admitted. She was looking less like a girl who wanted to cry for a week—but only partially.

“Looks like it. Care for anything else?”

“Just some more sleep.”

“We can do that too. But first, just a couple of questions…”

“Of course. After everything I put you through, it only seems fair…”

Rhiannon nodded and after finishing the last of her juice asked, “Why did you do it?”

“What..?”

“Drag A here. I get the feeling this little team kinda dropped everything you have been working on to come see me and get A and I back together. I am endlessly grateful—don’t get me wrong! I owe you for giving me any chance for real happiness in my life… How to explain this? I was quietly miserable for four years…but now...there is color in the world again. But the question I have is still—why? You didn’t know me… You saw me in A’s memories, sure—but who’s to say I didn’t turn into a total jerk in the last four years. Maybe I did… how could you know? Why would you risk everything to do this for me?”

Megan stared at the empty juice glass she was playing with and looked as if she might just cry again after all.

“Rhiannon..?”

“Yes..?”

“Can I say—I am a sucker for a happy ending?”

Rhiannon gazed at her guest, her reaction suspicious. “I thought you duck out for popcorn when the mushy stuff starts…”

Megan signed and lowered her eyes again. Caught. “Yeah, I do… Ok…I owe you an answer…”

“You don’t owe me anything…but I am asking for one…”

Rhiannon collected their plates and put them in the sink. After, when she walked back into the bedroom, Megan followed.

“Rhi—I need to tell you three things to answer you properly. You study philosophy. First is a question for you…”

“Ok.” Rhiannon was rummaging in the top drawer of her bureau near the bathroom.

“What is love?”

“Woah—serious middle of the night stuff…”

“Yeah—but a working definition?”

“…’Joy inside with knowledge of an external cause’…”

“Yeah…Spinoza?”

“I think so…”

“A good one…how about this: love is when one’s happiness is connected to the happiness of another…”

Rhiannon had been washing up in the bathroom and came out, the wrinkled clothes she had slept in changed for a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top. She handed a folded something to Megan.

“That works for me…it matches my own working definition. And that idea of love is why A and I went our separate ways… As things were, we knew that we could not make each other completely happy… Here—that’s from my super skinny pile. Should fit you. Go wash up…help yourself to anything you need—and I laid out an extra toothbrush for you…”

“Oh, ok. Thanks…” Megan headed for the bathroom herself.

Rhiannon sat on the bed and checked her cell phone. No messages from A and Landon but there was an email from one of her professors. Her 8am class was cancelled. Thank various gods and goddesses for small mercies. Gratefully, she turned off the alarm and plugged her phone in. She saw Megan’s cell phone where A had left it and put it next to hers, but did not, as tempted as she was, look at it.

As Megan finished in the bathroom and turned off the light behind her, Rhiannon noted that the small girl had done just as she herself had done—brushed her hair and put it up with a hair tie and washed the small remaining remnants of her makeup off. Rhi mused—how could someone be even cuter at this hour of the morning, with no make up and big dark circles under her eyes?

Megan walked over to the bed wearing Rhi’s old white nightgown. It was still too large for her everywhere but the chest where it was—decidedly—more than a bit too small…

“Uh…damn, girl. Nice cleavage. Can you breathe?”

Megan looked down at her chest and despite starting to blush exclaimed, “Shut up! Ya think it’s easy being four-eleven with knockers this size?” The small brunette tugged and adjusted the nightgown’s top—to little difference.

“Hey—at least yours are equal sizes… My class tomorrow was called off—we get to sleep in. So, chesty girl, I am gonna be asleep in about four and a half minutes. So sit here and finish your three part reply to my question. We have a definition of love…what’s next?”

Megan sat by Rhiannon and quickly said, “Ok…time limit. Works for me—I perform better under pressure. Two is—why did Megan quit being a cheerleader?”

Huh. That was out of left field. “Uh…ok. Three minutes, forty-five seconds. Go.”

“Remember when you asked A how I was able to remember our meeting at the bookstore? And A said my theory was not their story to tell?”

Rhiannon nodded.

“Yeah…three days after that day you guys shared…I finally had the guts to do my own coming out day.” Megan stopped, looking for a sign of any reticence in Rhiannon’s reaction. Seeing none, but only compassion on her new friend’s face, Megan raced on: “I think there was a sense inside me of just how big a thing A’s talk with you had been. I felt proud to have shared it. That…pride…carried over into my life. I went to my parents, my teachers, my friends…and I told them—hey--I am bisexual. Pansexual, actually—cuz I have met some trans-people and found two of them really cute…”

Rhiannon, almost in a whisper filled the pause that followed with, “Three minutes, fifteen seconds…”

“Most everyone was super cool about it. Almost everyone, that is, but the captain of my cheerleading squad. I…didn’t quit my squad—I got kicked off…”

“Megan…”

“Clock’s ticking… She and ultimately all of them made it clear that they didn’t want a queer girl sharing the locker room, the showers…hotel rooms...and beds… The whole squad—our coach--my friends—and their parents, made a huge thing over it. And most of them were on my side—but by then I just…it came down to—I could choose cheerleading, or my own self-esteem. I think that is why I remember A meeting you and coming out to you…because as rough as it was for you both, that coming out went much better than mine.”

“Megan..?” Rhiannon reached out for the smaller girl’s hand. Megan took it and squeezed gently. Then, Megan looked Rhiannon right in the eyes, the small girl’s face serious, vulnerable, and frightened.

“Almost done. Ok—item three. Rhiannon—I do know you—as well as someone might who has only seen you through the eyes of another’s memory. But those memories are from a person who loves you—like insanely, deeply loves you. A has loved you from the first day they met you… And now I have met you…and spent time with you as me AND as A’s host…and I have felt that love…and it is AMAZING.

“Why did I risk everything to bring you two together? Rhiannon, sorry, but that is a stupid question. How…could I…not…?”

Rhiannon wiped tears from her eyes and then reached up and brushed some from Megan’s eyes as well. Then she gathered the small girl into her arms and hugged her for all she was worth. What an utter treasure this little woman was. No wonder A loved her so much.

“And you seriously think you have not earned this level of intimacy with me. Megan, sorry, but THAT is a stupid thing to say…”

“Rhiannon…A loves you. And…it’s no secret, I love A… Part of me…can’t help but love you too… So I brought you two together…and I am here worrying about being in this bed with you again—but without A here to…uh…chaperone..? What if that love in my little gay heart scares you away? Ok, done…futon—and maybe the door—here I come…” Megan tried to pull away.

Rhiannon held on and did not let her get up. “Megan…stop. Yeah, we just met—or re-met. Whatever. But you have charmed your way right into my heart. And you have a really good character reference. Part of me already loves you too. I am not scared of you or your cute butt or your little warm and loving—and gay—heart. God, I am rambling… Bottom line--we started this night together and we are finishing it together! And I don’t know what it all means and I don’t know what to do about it… All I do know is it is three friggin’ AM and I want to go to sleep…”

“Yeah, me too…sorry…”

“So…dry your eyes, put your worries on the back shelf for tonight, get your chesty self under these covers and kiss me goodnight…and for the love of all that’s sacred—let’s go to sleep!!”

“Yes, ma’am…”

Now laughing in near hysterics—or exhausted giggles—the girls turned off the lights and got into Rhi’s bed.

“Tough girl…” Megan said, gathering Rhiannon into a side by side hug and popping a quick kiss to her lips.

Rhiannon snuggled down next to Megan and said, yawning, “I have my moments… Goodnight, sexy… I do love you…”

“Goodnight beautiful…I love you too…”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's get to know all A's new hosts a bit better.

A chirping phone woke Rhiannon. She opened her eyes and immediately smiled as the first thing she saw was Megan’s sleeping face on the pillow next to her own head, a bit of drool on the right corner of her mouth. A glance at the wall clock indicated it was 9:51.

Another peek showed her it was her own phone that was alarming—a text.

Very carefully Rhi slid an arm out from under the pillow she and Megan were sharing and collected her phone from the bedside table. Several texts were there. The top one was from Vi, one of her roommates, apologizing for forgetting the litter box and asking if Rhi would water her plants. The rest were from Landon/A—it seemed Megan had added A’s circle of people to her phone sometime last night.

0855##Rhiannon…all is well. Have collected Avery and stayed here for a rest. We are getting ready to drive back—there by 1 or 2 pm. May an old love take you out for dinner, please? …Long time, no Rhiannon date.

And another: 0910##Landon thinks you are charming and Avery can’t wait to meet you. Hope you both slept well.

And one more: 0913##Can hardly believe it…You are in my life again and I’m in yours. Remind me to do something nice for Megan!

And a last text: 0917##Buried the lead… I love you.

Rhiannon couldn’t help but grin. Silly texts. Just like teens in love. Next would be long phone calls and no one wants to be the first to hang up.

“You woke up happy…” came a yawning mutter from next to her.

“Good morning…sleep well?”

“Uh…like the dead. What has your heart racing this morning?”

Rhiannon handed her phone to Megan who quickly scrolled through the texts. Rhiannon propped her head on her hand facing Megan.

“Geez—high school all over again. It’s an overdose of cute and romantic…”

Rhiannon was grinning widely. “Yeah, it is…”

“You really needed that…to share that kind of cutsie, sweet, romantic connection with A.”

“I guess that is true… I am still processing things. My whole world has changed since yesterday…”

“Welcome to our club…we have t-shirts. It was three years ago that A and I bumped into each other at the bookstore at school…we have shared countless hours together both ‘together’ and separately…and I am STILL processing things, too… Uh…may I borrow your shower? I really need one…”

“Of course. Same deal—use whatever you need in there. Towels on the rack. Do we need to wash anything from last night right quick?”

“No—I have my backpack with me—I have clean underwear and a new top.”

“Cool. You go first.”

In less than fifteen minutes both girls were showered and dressed. Rhiannon had put on some jeans and one of her Ground Zero employees’ polo shirts. Megan was in her jeans and a pale blue blouse. Rhiannon sat at her vanity putting her hair up and applying a bit of makeup. She had the 11:30 to 2:30 shift at the coffee shop today so there was still time. Likewise, Megan had dug a cosmetics bag from her carryall and was sitting on the floor in front of Rhiannon’s closet mirror working on her own morning face. The new friends continued to talk as they got ready.

“What is it like, having A in your head..?”

“You’ve been there…”

“Not like you. I wasn’t at all aware of any of it until the next day... And A wrote me letter…” Rhiannon looked, Megan nodded her understanding. “And even though A tried to imprint as much as possible into my memory, it was still…partial…incomplete… We talked about it the next day and at other times, but its still-- Poor A went through a bit of drama that day…”

“And…blue eye-liner…” Megan was applying some to her own eyes. And not blue.

Rhiannon laughed loudly. “I had forgotten about that! But… seriously… what is it like…?”

Megan sighed and picking up a hairbrush, started working on her still damp hair as she talked.

“I have kinda been the host trainer of this little family—as I was the first. I taught Landon, then Avery and the girls how to accept A during a voluntary transfer… And even having done that…I am still unsure how to answer that simple question…but…

“You share things about yourself with people in your life. You share secrets with friends, with family, with lovers…you tell people your stories and your jokes…you share your fears with people you trust… you have fights with certain people and you just know that when the fight is over, that person will still love you—no matter how much you may have hurt each other… Being with A is like all that…but amped up to the Nth degree… A knows things about me that I was unaware of---until A mentioned them…

“As to the rest, it is like going to the movies… You sit in your chair, comfy and relaxed and watch what is happening on the screen. Now, imagine, no screen, no speakers, and you have full sight and sounds as if you are THERE…and, you are. You feel cold when it snows, you smell and taste the coffee, you hear the kids playing next door, you say ouch when you get a paper cut…but you also just feel…limp and warm and comfy…because A is moving everything, talking and interacting with the world. A hears everything you think and acts on it like a good tour guide. And…A has full access to every thought, every memory, every dream…all of you. But—you get the same…you can feel every time A woke up in someone else’s body…you see their growing up, you feel their sadness at feeling like they were one of a kind and fully alone—never able to tell anyone about themself… You can use knowledge that A has acquired… All those memories—and-- you have an imaginary remote control in your hand and you can scan and fast-forward or reverse like a DVD player…play any A memory you choose at any time…just as if it was your own memory…

Megan touched her head, and then her heart. “I committed a couple of A’s memories to permanent storage in here…so I can see them any time I want…”

“What memories..?” They had moved to the kitchen and Rhiannon placed a pair of bananas, cereal, milk, and two bowls with spoons on the counter. She poured some juice for her and her guest as Megan continued.

“Uhh…well. The day he met you… I have watched and felt and relived that dozens of times. I also have the day you both said goodbye. I played that one over and over the day I finally decided to kidnap A and bring them to you… Sorry I’m a stalker… And--I’m sorry I took so long…”

“Don’t apologize. We are all here together and that’s special and wonderful… So—the first time was a surprise--and a fluke? I mean, never the same person twice and all… And did I hear right—was there lots of alcohol involved..?”

“Oh hell yeah. No the post party connection was totally unplanned…and that day we were way too sick to even think clearly. No…our official first time was a few days later…”

“What was that like…?"

“So the first time…wow…uh…well…intense. A and I had to remind each other that my body needed to eat, hydrate, visit the restroom, go to class…and sleep. Sleep is crucial when you host…because, as you have seen…it is exhausting…

“Rhiannon…being with A is not like anything else I can imagine…I thank the all the gods and goddesses every day that A and I met…

“I feel the same…”

Rhiannon and Megan just looked at each other, comfortable with the silence between them…just as newly close friends often feel.

“Hey…we’ve been yakking…did you text A back yet?”

“Not yet…”

“You better text back an RSVP…”

Rhi pulled her phone from the back pocket of her jeans. “Yeah… Wow…a date with A. Needless to say, A and I have not shared time together like that in many a day…”

Megan suddenly looked away from Rhiannon’s gaze and ran her spoon around her cereal bowl—even though Rhi was pretty sure the small girl was done with her breakfast.

“Megan..?”

“Hmmmm…?”

“Megan? What is it..?”

“Nothing…just a passing, stupid thought…not worth mentioning… What are you gonna wear on your epic date?”

“Megan..?”

“What..?”

“You’re not the only one with mean faces…talk to me…”

“Rhi—I promise…it’s NOTHING… Do you think A has a place in mind, or are you gonna show them one of your favorite restaurants..?”

Rhiannon just stared. Gently, but without relenting.

“Rhiannon…come on… Don’t make me out myself as a first class asshole, ok..?”

“A first class assho… OH!!!”

“Don’t.”

“I think I get it…”

“Hmmmmm.”

“SOMEBODY…and I mean that literally—someone gets to provide A with a body for tonight… And you were hoping it could be you…”

Megan put her face in her hands. Rhiannon reached over and pulled them away.

“Would you stop already… Of course you want to come on our date. I’m lucky I get to go no matter what…me and my saggy butt and tits of unequal sizes—I am going regardless. But A gets to choose who sits with me tonight… And maybe I get a recommendation…”

“Rhi—this is gonna be—I dunno, maybe a bit…romantic. Or maybe a LOT romantic… Wouldn’t you rather A was in a guy…like--oh, say, Landon. You admitted that you find Landon cute…”

“I do…he is cute. And tall and broad which I like…”

“So…that settles that…”

“Hang on a second. Landon and I have met, sure. And I think we are going to be friends—no doubt. But—there is someone I AM friends with already—someone I met before, years ago—and someone who gives really nice nighttime snuggles…”

“Rhiannon…”

“Hey…it’s not up to me.” Rhiannon pecked out a text.

1042##Hey A. Are you driving? Can you talk?

1043##Yes and yes…

1043##Can you call me please?

Almost at once the phone rang and she answered, “Joe’s Slightly Used Pets…”

“Uh…good morning. Does a Rhiannon work there? I certainly hope so—I asked her out and she hasn’t accepted yet…”

“Oh most decidedly yes—I would love to go out to dinner with you… Good morning. And I love you, too. A couple of quick questions though, please. Who are you today? You don’t sound like Landon…”

“Landon is in back asleep—long day yesterday. I am actually Avery right now. He says hi…”

“Hi Avery. See you soon. Drive carefully… So I was just wondering about our date. I have some questions about the dress code…”

“As in how dressed up are we getting or who I going to be coming as…”

“Both actually…”

“Well…ladies’ choice on the clothes. Fancy or comfy—as long as you are there… As to the other… Well…I was actually just thinking about that. Is Megan there? Are you on speaker?”

Rhi tapped a screen icon and held the phone out. “Yes to both.”

“Hi A…”

“Hi Megan… Please tell me you got some good rest? I worry, I do…”

“I did. Your Rhiannon’s hospitality is near Muslim standards.”

“High praise…” Rhiannon said.

“Indeed…” A confirmed, then went on. “So you heard your little felony kidnapping caper has led to an actually willing date?”

Megan nodded and watched Rhiannon smirk at her. “I heard, you’re welcome, good for you both, and I admit to no wrong-doing without my lawyer present…”

“Well I have two pretty tired gents here with me… and while both would like to go tonight and are eager to do so…they are saying something about seniority--whatever that means… So I am asking you and Rhiannon—any preferences on who takes me out with Rhi tonight?”

Rhiannon jumped in, “I vote for Megan!”

“Well that’s one. Megan?”

The dark haired girl looked over at Rhiannon. She got a faux stern glare in return.

“Uh…guys—A, Rhiannon? Are you sure?” Megan implored.

A/Avery’s voice came from the speaker: “I am happy this pretty girl has agreed to go out for a meal with me. Everything else is ice cream on my cake… Rhiannon? My only worry was-- are you fully comfortable being out on a girl-girl date… I may hold your hand, pull out your chair for you and everything…”

“Right…” agreed Megan.

“Megan, A—I AM comfortable with this. I am really looking forward to it in fact. And I told you—I got over those issues years ago. I was the Vice President of my school’s GSA my last year of high school… Megan is cute, cuddly and I am proud to go out with her. And A? I already told you yes…”

“Megan…?”

“Ok, A. Looks like I drew the short straw…” Rhiannon stuck her tongue out at Megan. The small girl smiled hugely in return.

“Buck up, soldier,” instructed A from the phone.

“So…we will see you this afternoon?” Megan asked.

“Yes…I expect to have us back there no later than 2pm…”

Rhiannon said, “Don’t push it. I will be at the coffee shop. Meet me there?”

“Yes I will. Sounds fine to me. My friends, I have to go…coming into some heavier traffic and I need to mind my knitting here. Text me later about how dressed up I need to be—would you please?”

“Of course. Be careful. See you soon.”

“Love you…”

“Love you too, A.”

The call clicked off and Megan just stood, a bit overwhelmed at what had just happened. She muttered, more to herself than Rhi, “As if… Like I am seriously gonna let A decide what this body wears on a date with you…” The small girl collected their breakfast dishes and put everything in the sink. Turning back a moment later, she saw her hostess gazing at her, amused.

“Well…?” Rhiannon finally asked.

“I…don’t know what to say. Thank you…of course. And I promise I will TRY and tune out and not intrude on you guys…”

“You better not! I need you on my side here. If only I had an ‘in’ directly into your head like A does—I could gossip with you while I am with A. Hey!! So—you share pretty much everything with A when you host for them?” Megan nodded. “And everything the other hosts get—well, you get all that too—the next time you and A connect up…am I right?”

“That is pretty much how it works…Avery calls it the ‘weekly data dump’…”

“Holy shit… how do you keep any secrets??”

“Uh…we don’t. Watch everything you say because soon, what A knows me, Avery, Landon, will know within a week. The others…sometime later…”

“How many others?”

“Right now, there are five of us in total. The others, Carm and Laura are kind of on—well--I would call it ‘special assignment,’ …it’s always complicated with those two—even though Carmilla isn’t a vampire anymore…”

Rhiannon stared. She was not at all sure if Megan was kidding.

A vampire..?

“Everything about being around A is complicated. I had almost forgotten how much I have missed it. I will meet them when I meet them. How about Avery? Anything I should know about him?”

Megan smiled.

“Oh…like that huh? Hold on, lemme call A back and-–“

“Don’t you dare! All I can say is, Avery is sweet and has not one mean bone in his body. We fight like brother and sister most of the time but—I love him… But, I will say this: you know why they had to go get him, right?”

“Uh, not really…”

“Bail…”

“No…friggin’ shit…What are you guys into?”

“Just lemme say this, OK? We. Are. The good guys…I promise. Ask A—they will tell you. I have a feeling that may be one reason why they wanted a night out with you anyway.”

“I trust you. And I trust A. We shall see. I have to go to work shortly-- just for the lunch rush. Tell me—what do you think about the casual versus dressy choice?”

“Well—this is an occasion—but it is just dinner out. So what about really nice casual? Cuz as dressed up as you get I have to match and all I got with me is jeans and tops. And maybe one skirt.”

“Kind of my thoughts, too. C’mere…” Rhiannon led Megan into her room and opening her closet riffled through the hangers of outfits until she found what she was looking for. She pulled it out and held it up for Megan to see…

“Well..?”

“Damn lady. A is lucky. Uh…Rhiannon? May I ask a HUGE favor—“

“Yes, Megan, you can take me to work and borrow my car. And the mall is about a mile east of Ground Zero on the right.”

“This is gonna be a great date!!”

@@@@@@@@@@

The lunch rush at the Ground Zero coffee shop was, thankfully, coming to a close. Since it was Friday, and the kick off to a long holiday weekend, the place was getting the last hustling throngs of students heading out of town for the break. After these last few customers in line were attended to, Rhiannon could take a much needed rest.

So much had happened since the last time she had stood here at this very register. The young girl’s life was changed in ways that could never be reversed—and the future was…well…kind of wide open.

Rhiannon had actually been grateful to be busy today. With A and company in her life and with the anticipation of her big date with A—and with Megan it seemed—Rhi should have been anxious. But—she wasn’t…she was smiling the whole day… Her coworkers—used to Rhiannon always being kind and helpful, but usually a bit sullen and under a cloud—were amazed at the sea change in their favorite barista.

“Ok—one lunch special, chicken salad on a bagel, whole wheat chips, and an iced coffee. That comes to 11.95 please. And our chicken salad is double guaranteed to taste like chicken AND mayonnaise…and the bagel will always taste fresher today than it will tomorrow. Enjoy…”

The customer gave Rhiannon a pity chuckle but did toss the nickel change into the tip jar. How sweet…Rhiannon mused—now she could give up this life of crime. Smiling at her own stupid joke—and Firefly reference—she looked up at the next customer.

“And how may I help—“

Ping.

Well, well… So this must be Avery… Even with the sonar lighting up it was not a huge leap to see that this slender redhead could be A’s friend and host. Avery/A looked like he had been driving all morning—his clothes were wrinkled and there was a very tired pair of eyes around A’s twinkle. And—Rhi could see the RV parked at the curb again.

What was it about Avery…? Rhiannon was noticing something…

“Good noon to you sir. My name is Rhiannon and I will be taking your order today… Our lunch special is chicken salad, or egg salad—served on a croissant or a bagel…it comes with a salad, or an apple, or chips, and a drink of your choice. I should say…I am also scheduled to be your date later tonight…”

If the sonar had misfired, this was going to be one weirded out customer.

“You are still amazing…you just…know, don’t you..?” It was a pure A thing to say, but the voice was not at all what Rhi was expecting, even after having heard it on the phone.

Slender build, not too tall, soft jaw line despite a scruffy effort at a beard…and the delicate facial features like a…

Oh!!! Well… Megan had seemed…hesitant to reveal anything about Avery. Maybe this was why…

“Hi…welcome back…”

“It’s good to be back. And good to see your beautiful smile…”

Rhiannon smiled even wider.

“Is Avery bashful..?”

“Not at all…”

Rhiannon leaned over the counter and popped a quick kiss on A/Avery’s lips. “By the way—hello, Avery---nice to meet you—put a face to the name and all. Maybe should’ve said that before the kiss. Hungry? And what about Landon..?”

“Was dozing in the back still…and yes, I should probably feed them both.”

“Your pleasure, sir?”

“A romantic date with you later. For now…we will have whatever you are having. Can you join us..?”

“Yep—in about 15 minutes. Leave it all to me…”

Rhiannon served two coffees and three To Go meal orders for her last queued up customers. She put in the lunch order for her guests—including a meal for Megan and for herself—and while they were being made she cleaned her station, charged the food to her meal allotment account, and cashed out her register drawer. She clocked out and wished her co-workers a good weekend.

Seventeen minutes and forty seconds later she started carrying trays to an overlarge, half oval booth in the back where ‘her boys’ were sitting. Landon, still in that red t-shirt and looking very much like he had been up most of the night and then slept in an RV bunk, smiled broadly and got up to help her.

“Thanks for all this,” Landon said. He opened up his coffee cup and sniffed. “Oolong…you remembered…”

“Standard barista super-power.” There were different types of sandwiches, some salads, bags of chips and some apples on the table along with various hot and cold drinks. “Not knowing everyone’s favorites, I got an assortment. Dig in friends…” Rhiannon scooted one of the salads and an iced coffee over in front of herself.

“Should we wait for Megan..?” asked A. They were looking hungrily at a sandwich and a soda.

“She was on an errand—lemme see…” Rhi dug out her cell phone and indeed there was a text from the diminutive brunette. Rhiannon tapped out a reply as she said, “Eat up…she’ll be here shortly…”

A/Avery took a big bite of an egg salad sandwich and commented, “Uhmmm…delicious. Avery says thanks…evidently I don’t feed him well enough…” Landon was smiling, amused, as he savored the first deep drink of his tea, eyes closed, looking very much like a caffeine-user who just woke up.

Rhiannon settled back into the booth, grateful to be off her feet. “A veritable monster, Avery...no doubt. The day A was in me—they didn’t even change my underwear…”

Landon nearly spat hot tea on everyone. A/Avery just shook their head.

“And A..? I am still wondering where exactly that weird bra you put on me came from..?”

“Oh…” said Landon, “…that was mine…”

It was Rhiannon’s turn to do a spit take. “Nice… So…not to pry, but may I ask? Is everyone OK after last night’s adventure? Except for the obvious sleep deprivation…”

Avery/A glanced at Landon and took a breath to answer—but Rhi jumped in: “You don’t have to outline details that are above my security clearance…just is everyone any worse for the wear..?”

“Last minute trips are our jam…” Landon said. “A and I drove there, and Avery and A drove back. And us corporeal people have both napped…not so much for A…”

“I don’t need as much sleep as you more solid types…”

Rhiannon glanced over her shoulder and through one of the big store windows, saw her own Toyota pull into a parking space. As Megan got out and walked over, Rhiannon reached up and rapped on the glass—showing Megan where they could be found.

Turning back to Avery/A she said, “A—do we need to postpone this dinner-date? You should rest…”

A collected Rhi’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I missed you taking care of me… I am fine. And I will take a rest for awhile before tonight…”

The three (or four) friends were continuing their lunch when a few minutes later Megan, carrying a medium sized shopping bag came to the oval booth and slid in next to Rhiannon with a heavy sigh.

Megan laid Rhiannon’s car keys in front of her. “Well…now I don’t have to go out with these two cuties tonight wearing something tacky, wrinkled, and smelling like Avery’s socks…”

Rhiannon could sense that were it not for Avery’s mouth being currently under A’s control—and full of bites of an apple—there would have been a series of snark volleys tossed back and forth. Rhi gathered up a container of a quinoa and spinach salad and an iced chai tea and slid them in front of Megan. “That suit you alright?”

Megan looked at her meal offering and eyes wide said, “Perfect. Thank you. But how did you—“

“Standard…barista…superpowers…” said Avery/A and Landon in unison—each through a mouthful of food.

Megan shook her head as Rhiannon just giggled. “Well I am glad everyone is getting along… OH—you were sitting on empty so I filled your tank while I was out.” She reached into her shopping bag and pulled out a smaller, flatter bag and holding it out and a bit open for Rhiannon whispered, “That what you asked for?”

Sipping her drink and peeking, Rhiannon nodded. “Yeah…exactly. Thanks so much…”

“No problem.” Megan put the purchase back and dug into her meal.

After savoring their meals for a time, Rhiannon’s curiosity kicked in. She glanced over at Megan’s shopping bag. “Can we see what you got?”

Megan paused munching on bites of her salad and considered a moment before answering with, “Well…that is a funny sensation. Sure I want to show off my retail prowess for my newest girl chum BUT—there is the fact that I am going to wear what’s in here…well…for you…”

“Yeah…that is a funny sensation…” Rhi grabbed the last apple and took a bite.

“I am starting to feel like a passenger on this date…” A quipped.

“Until we swap and you guys head out, yes. After than I guess you can toss off what I got on and wear lederhosen and one of Landon’s stained and garlicky chef’s jackets…if that’s your off-kilter inclination…”

“Damn, is that an image…” A/Avery commented.

“Not if you wanna go out with me…” Rhiannon suggested.

Sounding like the long-suffering voice of reason for this group, Landon commented, “On the subject of smelly clothes…I think I saw a Laundromat on the way into town. If we can work out schedules we should get some clothes washed.”

“I have a washer guys…” Rhi offered.

Avery/A answered, “That is kind, but we do tend to accumulate lots of dirty stuff—to the tune of maybe six or eight loads. And if we do the Laundromat we can get it all done at once… Just faster and easier…”

“Well…we may have to part company soon anyway. During this break someone has to finish writing a term paper. I have to get to the library for awhile today…”

“Need help..?” asked Megan.

“No…just some boring fact-collecting…”

“You are NOT getting out of helping do the clothes…” Landon quipped.

“Well, anyway...as soon as I can tidy up my place a bit I do have room for all of you. You guys are not sleeping in that RV—at least until Tuesday night when my roomies get home… So—you are all my guests.”

“That is generous…” said Landon.

“What did you say, Megan? Muslim hospitality?” A remarked.

“And there, she can keep an eye on us...” Megan countered.

“Correct…” Rhiannon confessed.

They chatted more over their meals and drinks. When all was done, Avery/A started to tidy the table of empty containers and trays and used napkins. Rhiannon dug a couple of bills from her purse, went to the counter and came back with a roll of quarters, which she handed to a grateful Landon.

“A..?”

“Hmmm..?”

Megan nodded to an empty corner a few yards away from their table.

“Oh…excuse us please…”

Megan and Avery/A slid out of the booth and went over to the indicated area out of earshot and seemed to be in a quiet but serious conversation. Rhiannon watched them for a minute then turned to Landon.

“Are they gonna..?” Rhi moved her hands in back and forth arcs indicating an exchange, a swap.

“No,” Landon said “…they just have to talk about last night for a minute.”

Rhi nodded and sipped her drink, and tried to suppress the pensive expression on her face.

“And yes, A plans to explain everything to you… None of us like keeping you in the dark…so hold on just a while longer…”

“I thought so… And—I appreciate you telling me that.”

They looked at each other a bit shyly until Landon commented, “If things were a bit different, you and I would be going out tonight…”

“Yeah, we would. You ok with that..?”

“Perfectly OK… and I know I don’t say much—quite unlike my comrades here…but I hope you know just how happy I am to finally meet you, talk with you… maybe get to know the real you…”

“Of course. I mean—what an introduction! I hope A’s memories and stories haven’t bored you to tears… I hope I live up to the hype…”

“Oh…trust me…the person in front of me far exceeds the memory in every particular…” Landon gazed at her face. “Beauty…” He motioned to the now empty table, “…kindness…” He held up the roll of quarters in his hand… “…thoughtfulness…” Landon laughed. “Funny, smart, a quick wit…and you have special super powers… You are the whole package…”

“Wow…” Rhiannon kissed his cheek. “That was…sweet…”

“I try… And thanks for what you said early this morning…”

“Well…you are tall…and…cute…”

Landon laughed again. Damn—dimples, Rhiannon noticed. Could any girl or boy this guy set his eyes on ever resist for long?

“A told me last night about how you met…I want to hear more. I hope we can talk. Maybe hear about your culinary career. I want to know more about you and Avery… Megan and I are already becoming close…maybe we can—I dunno—see if a friendship is possible for us too..?”

“Very possible…and if at all possible before my next turn with A…”

Rhiannon blushed from her hairline all the way down her neck.

“Uhh…yeah…”

“A told the truth…I’m not bashful… And I get it…it has to be weird to spend a day with the love of your life—and they are a person you have never met… Or worse maybe, they are a person you HAVE met…”

“You do get it…”

Megan looked over at Landon and Rhiannon and smiled. A/Avery caught Landon’s eye and—moved their hands around in the air in front of Avery’s body—sign language. Landon nodded and replied in a fast series of signs.

“That’s cool…how long have you signed?”

“All my life…”

“Oh…deaf parents..?”

“Nope. I used to be deaf…”


	6. Chapter 6

The rest of the afternoon and early evening was full of errands large and small. After their late lunch, Rhiannon went to the library and spent an hour on the computers there and in the stacks finishing the needed research for her paper. While still on campus she dropped a couple of assignments into the mailboxes of her non-computer literate professors… (Jeez people, learn about email already, huh…) She also took a minute and preemptively cleaned most of the trash out of the Rav4 since tonight’s date was decidedly not going to include using the RV as transportation. After this she ran quickly to her neighborhood salon and had the split ends trimmed from her hair and got a coat of pretty maroon polish on her nails.

Her guests were keeping her informed of their progress with the laundry via texts. Arrival times were synchronized.

When Rhiannon got back to her apartment, she immediately checked the roommates’ rooms to see how they could be co-opted as temporary guest rooms. A little linen here, a bit of tidying there and things were fine. She went to the kitchen and considered her larder. Best to feed these boys lest they get up to no good whist she and A and Megan were out.

His Highness, the Royal Liege Alexander II came into the kitchen and Rhi spent just a minute with her smallest roommate.  
“Well, chum…you were pretty nice to Megan last night. So keep up the good behavior, OK? We’re about to have even more company and I expect your best, most cordial behavior, hummm?” His serene Majesty patently ignored the decrees and wandered out of Rhiannon’s arms and the kitchen. Rhiannon just laughed and took items from the fridge and cabinets.

A short while later she had a casserole dish of her famous veggie lasagna ready for the oven and a salad in the fridge. She tossed some pre-made garlic bread on a cookie sheet and placed it in the fridge as well. There was some juice, Cokes, and half a pitcher of iced tea also in there as well as bottled waters and canned coffees from work.

As she finished the meal prep a soft tap on the apartment door signaled her guests were home. She opened the door and there were all three, each with a carryall bag and additionally Landon had a hamper of assorted linens and towels, clean and folded.

“Hi…come in, come in. Welcome. Make yourselves at home and all that. There are two rooms ready there and there…and you guys pick who what and where as suits you…ok? Two bathrooms…the one in my room and that one down the hall. Landon..? A supper for you and Avery is in the refrigerator ready to heat up as you like, OK? Or—there are pizza and Chinese delivery menus on the fridge door…”

“Wow…”

“You are very welcoming…” Avery/A said and pecked Rhi on the lips.

“I thank you and my back thanks you…” said Landon.

Megan also had her new clothes with her in the large shopping bag. After giving Rhiannon a hug hello she commented, “What did I say…Muslim hospitality… Dibs on the hallway shower—I got a date in a few…and I smell like Laundromat.” She winked at Avery/A, holding hands with Rhiannon and ducked into the hallway bathroom.

Landon was making overtures in cat diplomacy with Alexander and Avery/A whispered in Rhi’s ear, “Thank you for inviting us here. It means so much to us…to me.”

“Me too, honey. Now—we don’t need to head out for awhile…and someone promised to nap before our date.”

“I did promise…and honestly, I could use a nap—last night is catching up with me.”

“Does the host have to sleep at the same time?” If this was the case, Rhi was thinking Avery would need a bed for awhile while he—and A-- napped.

“No, actually… either can sleep and the other can use the body. Takes some acclimation at first…like sleeping in a noisy house… Or—both just sleep. Seeing the other’s dreams AND sharing dreams is really surreal… But for now, Avery tells me he’ll stay awake while I rest…”

“That is…seriously cool. And I remember Megan talked to me this morning and said you hadn’t woken up yet… I noticed it was her on my sonar, not you…”

Landon was holding a fairly content feline cradled in his arms and said, “I have seen memories of this non-food or coffee related ability of yours…I want to see it in action…”

“Oddly enough, when we met yesterday I got a partial ping from you…and then from Megan… First time the old sonar had done anything in…well, four years...“  
Landon exchanged a curious look with A/Avery and went back to cooing over his new furry friend.

Avery/A stroked a lock of Rhiannon’s hair behind her ear, as they had done while in more than a couple of bodies over their time together and gazed at her with naked love and admiration. “She is a treasure… Well…I too have a date tonight and it seems I have little or nothing to do—getting ready wise…so…”

Rhi gave her love a quick kiss. “Sleep tight. Love you honey…”

“I love you too…”

After the usual brief transition, Avery was letting out a sigh and looking at Rhiannon. He gave her a shy smile.

“Hello finally, Avery… welcome to my place.” Rhiannon looked over at Landon. “No A ping… just a little, this is a host ping. Call it a mini-ping. A ping-ette..?”

“Amazing… and she made us dinner.”

“I heard. Thank you Miss Rhiannon.” Avery took her hand and—in a sweet, old-fashioned gesture, actually bowed over it. “I am very happy to meet you—officially. And finally...” Avery looked over at Landon. “The actual, living, breathing, Rhiannon…holy crap! She IS as amazing as A’s memories…”

“Completely… And watch, she’ll blush if we fawn over her past a certain point…”

“Landon…” Rhi tried to protest.

“Get used to it…at least for awhile…” Landon advised.

“Yeah… And I feel like I should apologize for getting you all out of bed at O-dark thirty this morning… Not good house-guest etiquette…”

“Etiquette-schmedditchet as my mom likes to say… And I need to say thank you for taking such good care of A… Plus…gentlemen, with your kind permission..?”  
She looked the men in the eyes for a second and then hugged Landon, followed by a quick kiss and repeated these with Avery.

“Sorry…I am usually big on consent before I hug or kiss someone I just met…and you two got my full A treatment over the last day…”

“No complaints here…” from Landon.

“Or here…” said Avery.

“Well…thank you. But those hugs and kisses were for YOU…my boys… And my guests. So please, make yourselves at home…”

Out of the corner of her eye, Rhi had noted Megan was out of the shower and had run to Vi’s room to sort out her new clothes. After asking the wifi password, Avery was happily diverted by his cell phone and tablet and Landon was perusing her bookshelves—a habit Rhiannon shared when she was in another’s space.

Good. Guests settled. Boys fed. Now the next hour was hers to get ready…

Rhiannon went into her own room and shut the door behind her. She shook out the bed clothes a bit and making the comforter somewhat more flat she lay down on top of it. She glanced at the clock—she had plenty of time to shower and get ready for her date with A…

Rhi wasn’t sleepy—despite an interrupted night’s sleep plus all the drama of yesterday. Dear God—yesterday?! Had all this happened in just one day!? It was all overwhelming, but in a good way…

Rhiannon stared at the ceiling in her room as she had done countless times before. In her post-A life of the past four years, Rhiannon had taken up a habit she sometimes humorously referred to as meditation. Jolene, her sister, had caught her years ago at this activity and had often referred to it as Rhiannon ‘contemplating the lint in her belly button.’ Jokes and Zen lint contemplation aside, Rhi knew that this habit was less meditation or prayer but rather simply a way for her to take out her thoughts and feelings and go over them until her life—hopefully—made a tiny bit more sense. From her last year of high school onward so many events had challenged the young woman. The sad burden of living without A in her life, growing up, going off to college away from home, having relationships…mourning Alexander… Tonight, however, things were different and thus her train of thought was taking an entirely new course. She was glad she had this quiet moment alone plus this long-practiced ability to try and sort out the goings-on of her mind and her heart.

She was beyond simply happy to have A back in her life. She was feeling thrilled and peaceful at the same time, as much of a paradox as that seemed. She was intrigued at the feats A and the little family of willing host-bodies that adopted A (or was it the other way around?) had achieved in these last few years. She wanted to study this and these people to know more. A had indicated that she herself was at the epicenter of their little family and Megan and Landon—and even Avery in his own way—had reaffirmed this. Rhi wanted to know how she fit in to all this and what—if anything—other than her respect and her love—she could honestly contribute to this amazing undertaking…

Rhiannon also knew that A, and Megan, were keeping things from her. Even before that afternoon’s chat with Landon, Rhi was sure of this.

It was her impression that this secrecy was not out of spite or guilt but more a protective gesture toward her. Protecting her from…what—she did not have a clue.  
Landon and Megan had said that A may have planned this date--in part--as a chance to explain many things about their lives now… Rhi guessed this was likely true… She trusted A and whatever they had to say to her, she would listen…

Rekindling this relationship had been both easier that she ever imagined and more difficult. The situation with Megan and the rest made things so much easier…but likewise, added new complexity to an already complicated set of everyday interactions. Now, instead of the parade of strangers in and out of Rhiannon and A’s daily life, there was this neat little group of lovely, yet complex personalities that Rhiannon was trying to forge separate relationships with…

And then…there was the center of this little whirlwind…

A.

Rhiannon had, four years ago, been ready and willing to give herself to A, mind, body, and soul. A was the love of her life. Today, this was no less true. The young woman’s approach to love and relationships, while more mature than her sixteen year old self, was no less focused or comprehensive. When Rhiannon loved, she loved with her whole being. She lay there thinking about everything that tonight held in store for her and A…and she was unsurprised to find herself not at all anxious. Where-ever their relationship might go—as long as they were together--Rhiannon was ready for it…

Now…she just had to make A understand this—and if their history in the intimacy department was any indicator—it might take some convincing.

And…there was that wild card in the mix…

A and Rhiannon had always, always had another person—a person, of course, unaware and not a volunteer—in the space between them. Sixteen year old Rhiannon had so often felt like a girl who was into serial threesomes… 

That memory made her smile at the ceiling and then laugh aloud…

But tonight, the wild card was anything but an unknown. The third person was sweet and kind and committed to A and Rhiannon’s happiness. The not so wild card was not an unknown commodity…quite the opposite—the person A would occupy, the willing volunteer body for A to use, for Rhiannon to hold hands with and kiss—was someone Rhi knew as a separate, complete person. And—she was a person with whom Rhi had already begun to fashion a separate close personal relationship…a relationship that had very quickly blossomed with physical and emotional affection…

Megan…

Megan who had taken on the burden of breaking the frozen lake of distance, fear and regrets between Rhi and A…and had made it her mission not only to put the old lovers back together—but to take full blame upon herself if their reunion was in any way unsuccessful.

Megan who had kidnapped A (with means still a mystery) to achieve the above reunion—a feat that left her not only a weeping, exhausted mess—but a mess that would NOT accept Rhiannon’s invitation back to bed right away. Not until the petite former cheerleader outed herself as queer and confessed her attraction towards Rhiannon…not until she admitted that her motives for serving their love—included a hearty measure of her own love for them both… Megan who would not share Rhiannon’s bed without A there, even to just sleep—until all her motivations and vulnerabilities were shared and on the table.

Rhiannon had not had anyone filling that place labeled, Best Friend next to her in life—not since Rebecca had been accepted at Stanford and Rhi could never have made going there with her financially possible. Megan was unintentionally but effortlessly finding her home in exactly that unoccupied place in Rhiannon’s life.

Megan…who in only twenty four hours of their renewed (and new) acquaintance—had confronted, sacrificed, educated, interrogated, laughed, smiled, wept, and cuddled her way right into Rhiannon’s heart…

Megan…who was without even trying…just about the sexiest female Rhiannon had ever known.

Sure, it might have been easier to have A borrow Landon’s body for tonight… 

But whoever said easy was fun..?

Rhiannon smiled again.

Yeah…whatever was going to happen, tonight and for hopefully many days in to come…was going to be fun…

Given a choice, Rhiannon would have fun like this for the rest of her life…

She slid off the bed and before heading for the shower, she remembered she needed to collect something from Megan.

@@@@@@@@@@

Avery had made himself comfortable on the living room futon and was studying something on his tablet computer. Alexander was sitting near him giving the small, redheaded man a tolerant look.

Landon looked around the kitchen as instructed and quickly noticed the meal Rhiannon had kindly pre-made.

“Avery..? You hungry..?”

“I could eat…”

Landon uncovered and smelled the dish of lasagna and made an approving face as he warmed the oven and then placed the pan inside to cook. He smiled mischievously and wandered over to the closed door of the room Megan was using and knocked.

“Hey Megan?! Ya wanna blow off this hot date and have some lasagna with us?”

A muffled “Kiss my ass, Landon!”

“So…that is a ‘no’ I take it..?”

Silence from behind the closed door was his answer. Avery looked up and said, “I guess that is indeed a ‘no, thanks’... More food for us…”

Avery had made a groan of dissatisfaction and had gotten up and was playing with the wireless internet router sitting on the shelf by the recliner. Landon watched for a moment, glancing at two closed doors, a thoughtful look on his handsome face.

“A still asleep inside there…?” Landon asked as Avery returned to the futon and picked up his tablet.

Avery looked up at the ceiling for about five seconds. “Hmmm…yep—out like a light…” Landon slid over the top of the futon and sat next to his friend.

“So…how you doing?” the hazel-eyed young man asked his companion.

“Me? Fine. I can’t remember you asking me that before…”

“I have checked on your well-being on numerous occasions…”

“Hmmmmm…if you say so… You got something on your mind...?”

“Sooo…why did you..?” Landon asked.

“Why did I..? What? Take a pass on tonight?”

“Yeah…”

“Well…for such an epic reunion of long lost loves, the host who is a demi-sexual trans-man, who the girl had yet to even meet…seems like the least likely choice… So why did you bow out..?” Avery didn’t even look up from his tablet.

“I dunno… Being the default hetero guy wasn’t enough? Too much pressure...? I didn’t want to have to shave and wear a tie..? Take your pick…”

“I do believe you are over-thinking this my friend…”

“All I am saying is this; it isn’t every day that our non-corporeal boss reconnects with the lost love of their life…and we both pass on being there for the…festivities…”

“Dude…dirty mind much..?” Avery quipped.

“I was more referring to the missing a once in a lifetime experience… oh, ok—I was thinking about any potential doin’ of the deed later… Now THAT is something I am sad to miss. Rhiannon is quite a gorgeous girl… I guess saying that makes me a jerk…” Landon stretched out his long legs and let his head fall back over the back of the futon.

Avery shook his head but kept typing away on his pad. “We have a gorgeous girl with us all the time. We share her thoughts so she knows when you’re horny…and vice versa. You know her better than you know your own toothbrush… You got cramps during her last period… We sleep together all too often in a smelly 4 by 8 RV cab.”

“Your point?”

Now Avery looked up. “Ever made a move on her?”

Landon was surprised. “Megan? God no...she’d kill me. Besides, she prefers other girls.”

“Sometimes…she likes guys too. Hell, she even admits some trans-people make her heart go pitty-pat… Not ME of course, but some of us…”

“I guess I am still waiting on a point…”

“It is—you are not a jerk. You are a guy… A nice one. And anyone who could possibly understand this science fiction scenario we find ourselves in, would kill to be in Megan’s shoes right now…or A’s or Rhiannon’s… In the final analysis, I include myself on that list… I ain’t THAT demi—”

“You are surprisingly insightful at times…”

Rhiannon came out of her bedroom and smiling at the boys as she passed, headed for Megan’s door. 

“Don’t force me to make a habit of it, ok...“ Avery quipped. “I gotta a rep to protect.”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Rhiannon tapped on the door to Vi’s room where Megan was getting ready. “Hey…it’s me…”

“Yeah, c’mon in…”

Rhiannon cracked the door a bit. “Decent..?”

“Rarely—but I’m not naked…not like it would matter…”

Rhiannon opened the door the rest of the way and saw something she was not expecting.

Megan, in a short white bathrobe with her hair wrapped in a towel was sitting in a tailor seat on the end of Vi’s bed with a small device… squeezing a drop of her blood from her fingertip onto a…

Glucose meter..?

“Megan? You’re diabetic?”

“Oh…caught me…”

Rhiannon in a panic mentally reviewed every item of food and drink she had placed in front of her guest and new friend. “Megan I am so sorry…”

“For what?”

“I…didn’t know…I made meals for you and didn’t even think about-“

“Rhi…Rhi…stop. I didn’t tell you. You could not have known. And…I can eat whatever I want…no worries…”

Rhiannon was visibly shocked. “Uh…ok… How is that?”

“I’ve been diabetic since I was seven. I passed out on the playground and woke up in Intensive Care with three IV’s in my arms. I learned how to count carbohydrates and give myself shots—at an age when many kids are still eating mud pies. For years I wore an insulin pump and everything… That is, until about two and a half years ago...”

Rhiannon added two and two in her head… The resulting sum of four was slowly blowing her mind.

“Let me guess… A..?”

“A…” Megan confirmed.

“So…you’re just…cured…?”

“So far. I just do this a couple times a week cuz A makes me… Hmmm. 89.”

“Normal, right?”

“Perfectly normal… like the last 200 times I checked it…and more than super cool. So don’t worry about me. You talked with Landon?”

“Yeah, for a minute.”

“You saw us signing?”

“I did…he said he used to be deaf.”

“Not any more…and you only get one guess how Landon got his hearing back.”

Rhiannon’s was gob smacked… Her mouth was open, her eyes like coffee saucers.

“Seriously..?!”

“This is part of what A wants to tell you so they gave us the go ahead to soften the ground for you a bit… And…A is gonna kill me but…fuck it. Be sweet to A when this comes up…but they are nursing a huge case of guilt over…well…Alexander…”

“Good God, why?!”

Megan cleaned off her hands and packed her meter away in the backpack beside her on the bed, all the while looking at Rhiannon, compassion in her eyes.  
Rhi pressed on. “A didn’t know Alexander was sick. I was with the guy every day and I didn’t know!”

“True…”

“And Alexander’s cancer didn’t come back until months after A was gone…”

“Also true…”

“Oh my freaking God… Does A really think…? Could A…cure cancer?”

Megan shrugged. “I don’t know. But Landon hears a whisper from across the room and I can eat ice cream any time I want… and Avery…”

“What about Avery…?!”

Megan laughed and took the towel off her head. “No need to shout, sweetie. I’m the former diabetic, not the former deaf one…”

“Sorry…so—go on about Avery…”

“I’ve said too much… You should ask Avery…”

Rhiannon scratched her head and said, “I think I may know already…”

There was a gentle tap on the door. Rhi looked at Megan who nodded and Rhi opened it to find Avery standing there. 

No ping.

“Did I hear my name shouted?”

“Hello Avery…and yes—sorry about that…come in…”

“Ok…”

Rhiannon had caught Avery’s gaze at the door.

“So…A is still sleeping…”

“Wow—your sonar power is really not a joke huh? A is still in here…they just woke up and left me the reins for a minute… So what is the discussion about that included the yelling of my name?”

“We are talking about me eating carbs and Landon listening to music…” Megan was plugging in a curling iron and running a brush through her hair.

“Oh, yes… And me having facial hair and singing baritone?”

“No…not yet…”

“Oh…jumped the gun. It’s no secret. Rhiannon? You have been wanting to ask me something all day—since the moment we met. So…ask…”

Rhiannon frowned. Maybe someday, she mused, she could stop her every notion from flashing in gaudy neon on her face. But—if there was any topic Avery might be extra-perceptive about…

“Avery…are you trans?”

“Yes…of course… Female to male.”

“Ok. Male pronouns it seems…correct?”

“Yes I prefer the he and him set…I did once use they and them but with A in the mix it got confusing… You do know a lot about the queer community don’t you? You told A this morning on the phone that you were once the Vice President of your school’s GSA club…”

“Yes I was…and—as cliche as this sounds—I have a lot of LGBTQ friends… Having a genderless, all-orientations-at-the-same-time significant other—at sixteen—opens some doors inside one…”

Megan, working on her hair with the curling iron quipped, “Yeah…she slept with me last night with only minimal begging on my part. She even complimented my boobs and everything…”

Rhiannon rolled her eyes heavenward.

“A woman of sophisticated taste, I can see. So…the story is this-- Landon hears, Megan eats sugar…and I have started gender transition…but I have never taken testosterone as a shot or pill… A takes care of me…helps my body make more testosterone and less estrogen…”

“Holy…shit… OK, I am officially mind-blown and impressed. If the trans community gets wind of this, they will be lining up around the block to host for A…”

“Yeah. You should have been president of that Gay-Straight Alliance Club. Your aforementioned SO is ringing my bell in here. Anything else you hollered me in here for…?”

“No, Avery…not now. But—I do want to spend some more time talking to you—soon please-- if you are willing. Last but not least and all that…”

“Of course… Here comes your date…”

Rhiannon waited the usual moment until A appeared.

“Hello my dear…”

“Hi you… I hear you napped?”

“I did. Just woke up. I dreamed about our date.”

“Good dream…?”

“I should say so…”

Megan had pulled her newly curled hair into a fancy pony tail and was sorting through her makeup bag on the bed. “Not to be rude chums…but… there is this really hot girl and my non-corporeal boss I can’t disappoint…”

“Of course,” said Rhiannon. She noted what she had originally come in here for laying on the bed--the thin white paper bag—the purchase Megan had made for her while out, and picked it up. Megan saw and winked.

Avery/A looked over at Megan and started to speak.

“Oh, no you don’t! No, no, no. You don’t get this body until I get ready. You DO remember the last time I let YOU do my make-up?”

“You exaggerate… It was really not that bad…”

“Uh, A..?”

“Yes, Rhiannon?”

“Shall I remind you…blue eye-liner???”

“I have been more girls than the two of you… Wearing make-up since I was …I dunno, eleven or twelve…”

Rhiannon just laughed, blew A a kiss, echoed Megan’s wink, and headed back to her room to get herself ready. She had been right. Having this little gang in her life was going to be fun.

If they could just ease up on boggling her mind…

Body swapping love of my life…check. Miracle cures…ok, check. Trans people who medically transition without a prescription…check…

Now if the vampire host bites me…

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Rhiannon took a quick shower and when she was done, she wrapped herself in a towel and sorted out the items that would be her date outfit. Happy with her choices she started getting ready.

First she swept her air up and into a simple up-do, fastened in the middle of the back, bangs in front. She left a couple of tendrils hanging free either side of her face, but quickly pinned these up out of the way until her face was done. Her makeup took only a couple of minutes—a touch of foundation and powder, a bit of brow gel, reddish eye shadow and some mascara. Lip stain and a tiny bit of blush—she didn’t need much as flushed as she already was.

Her underwear came from the seldom used back half of her drawer of panties and bras. Because her dress was just to the knees and because it was getting decidedly cold at night she slid on the shiny tights in black that Megan had fetched for her. Her dress was a shirred, lacy shift in a red and black diamond pattern with short sleeves. She slid on a pair of felt flats in black with red piping. She had considered a pair of strap heels she had worn with this dress the last time she wore it—but considering the five inch difference in her and her date’s heights, she chose the flats. She had seen a pair of heels on the bed in Megan’s guest room so her petite date might be thinking the same way.

The bedside clock chimed eight pm. The trio had agreed on eight as the time to meet up before leaving so she was, as she had planned, going to keep them waiting just a couple of minutes.

Rhiannon curled those paired wisps of hair from her up do. She put on a pair of chain drop earrings and a few rings from her jewelry rack. She decided to skip perfume and instead took a dab of her favorite lightly scented moisturizer and rubbed it onto her arms and hands and patted what was left on her neck and behind her ears. She collected her tiny shoulder bag and moved her wallet, keys and cell phone into it, and after applying her lip gloss, dropped that in there as well.

She took one last look in the mirror and smiled. She looked pretty, she decided. She was dressed up, but not overly fancy, and not uncomfortable. She looked like a girl who wanted to look nice for an evening out …and for her date.

She collected a sweater from her closet and just as a precaution, pulled out another one—the smallest size she owned-- just in case Megan didn’t have a jacket.

One last sigh and she opened her bedroom door and went into the living area.

Landon and Avery were sitting on the futon, each drinking a soda. A quick peek and Rhi noted, as expected, that Avery was ping-less. After both gave Rhiannon an appreciative gaze, Landon giggled and Avery pulled a $5 dollar bill from his jeans and handed it to him with a scoff.

“You guys bet on me..?” Rhiannon was far more amused than miffed.

“Who would keep who waiting longer…yeah,” Landon confessed, still holding his winnings. “He bet on Megan, I said you would be out first. We thought about wagering who would come out looking prettier, but since you and Megan are both knock outs, we decided it was a moot point and ultimately impossible to decide a winner… But—may I say--you do look just lovely…”

“I was gonna say that. What he said. Is it too late to change my mind? I wanna be your escort with A…huh?”

“You two are good for my ego. Thank you. Do I smell your dinner choice in the oven?”

“You do…it looks great and I am a professional so that ain’t just a kindness…”

Rhi had put her purse down on the futon and was checking the weather on her cell phone. Yikes! She reached behind her and adjusted the apartment thermostat as she continued. “I hear good things about your cooking…I look forward to sampling it. And Avery..? I deduce I have you to thank for amping my wifi up to warp speed.”

“And she’s a nerd. Wow… Where were all the nerd girls as cute as her when I was growing up…?”

The door to the guest room opened and Megan/A emerged also ready for the epic date.

Megan had gotten a pair of crisp tailored black linen slacks and paired them with a white linen shirt with curved lapels, three quarter length sleeves and a multiple lacy layers near the top. She wore her hair up as well in that curly pony tail. Her makeup, like Rhi’s, was also simple and made her dark eyes huge and a warmer brown. There was a thin red ribbon loosely draped around her collar ending in a bow and her earrings had black and red accents, keying off Rhiannon’s dress. She was wearing the heels and it looked like this did indeed help equalize their heights. She looked super cute, elegant, and sexy.

“Wow… Nice dress. The only thing prettier is the girl wearing it.” Rhiannon noted the missing sonar ping so it looked like Megan was offering the first compliments.

“Wow back…you look—classy and gorgeous. Other girls and boys will envy me my date tonight. Don’t tell me all this glamour is for little old me..?”

“Oh, I dressed up for me too… A is not taking his best girl out and sullying my rep as gal of style. But…yeah…you know I wanted to look nice for you…”

“Indeed. Hey, if you need it, I brought this…” she held up the black cardigan. “My weather app says it will be pretty chilly in an hour…and I didn’t know if you needed something to cover up… It’ll be too big but overlarge clothes beat out pneumonia…”

“I do need it and thank you…”

“You’re welcome.”

The girls just stared at each other, a bit shyly for a moment. Then, almost on cue, both laughed.

Megan shook her head. “Ok… Well…there is this non solid person…I think you two have met…who is banging on the inside of my skull wanting out… So I guess I will step into the green room and let you two crazy kids go on your date…”

Rhiannon walked over and collected Megan in her arms. “Megan...thank you. Thank you for—well—everything. Thank you for dressing up so pretty…thank you for bringing A back into my life…thank you for bringing this little family of yours into my circle too…and—just thank you for being…you… My petite cheerleader…” Rhiannon gave Megan a quick peck on the lips and pulled her into a warm, affectionate hug.

There were a couple of audible clicking sounds and both ladies looked up to see Landon and Avery with their phone cameras out, taking photos.

“What…?”

“Oh there is no way we are letting this Kodak moment pass undocumented…” Landon said, unapologetically.

Rhiannon gave the gentlemen a very (fake) stern look and by the time she had turned back around…

Ping…

“You look very nice…” A/Megan was saying.

“So do you…”

“All Megan’s doing—of course…”

“Of course.”

A/Megan touched the sleeve of Rhi’s dress. “I don’t guess we’ve ever gotten dressed up like this…”

“Well…once…” Rhi bit her lip. Too late to take that back.

“Once...? Oh! Yeah…”

Once. Dinner at Alexander’s house. Their last night together four years ago…

“Uh, yeah…sorry…”

“No worries… Shall we..?”

Landon snapped another photo and then stern dad instructed, “Alright kids. Behave yourselves. No driving drunk, wear your seat belts and be home before 11:30…”

“10:30…” corrected Avery.

“Don’t burn the lasagna…” Rhiannon tossed out as she was putting her sweater on.

“Oh shit!!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS—Yes, there are homage’s to other queer stories in this story: Carmilla and Laura are from the web series Carmilla—yes, I am a Creampuff! The names Avery and Landon come from the wonderful LA Web Series. Anyone caught the Buffy references??? And every time Rhiannon’s super power kicks in I hear Sean Connery’s voice in my head—“Give us a ping, Vasilly…one ping only, please”…]


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Notes: this chapter was a bitch cuz I wanted to incorporate the best stuff from the book AND the movie—as both had their own virtues. I tried to combine the story aspects in as seamless a fashion as I could—maybe making this a bit AU? I leave my gentle readers and other fans of this world to decide. Soooo…time for the ‘epic date’ and for some shared truth… Enjoy, Becca.

“So…”

“Yes, so…”

Now that it was just the two (three) of them, A/Megan and Rhiannon stood on the landing by Rhi’s apartment door for a moment, just looking at each other.  
“Nervous..?” the non-host asked the corporate persons.

“More anticipatory…there’s an SAT word…”

“It is…and I understand. I waited all day for the nerves to hit me—but they never did. Just…patently anticipating… How’s Megan holding up…?”

A looked at the walkway railing for a few seconds and then laughed. “She says, ‘I am relaxed and comfy and ready to eat—my lunch salad left me an over an hour ago…so kiss each other already and let’s go to dinner…’ “

Rhiannon gently but firmly pulled A/Megan by the sweater lapels into a kiss.

“There…shall we..?”

“Yes…we shall. Date night… too cool…”

The night was clear and the air crisp and, as of yet, not uncomfortably cold. The couple walked down the stairs to the parking lot, Rhiannon holding A/Megan’s hand and not only because of the heels.

“May I ask our plans?” Rhiannon asked as they approached her parked car.

“Yes… So—I was going to ask—what is your favorite restaurant around this area?”

“I have several actually…” Rhiannon teased.

“No doubt. OK—how about this. When you want to celebrate a special occasion—where is the first place you consider going?”

“Ah…yes…I know just the place. Do you trust me?”

“Utterly…”

“Do you want to drive?” Rhi held the keys up.

“You know where we are going… May I serve as your co-pilot?”

“Any time for the rest of my life… Does that suit you..?”

“More than I can say. Shall we?” A/Megan took Rhiannon’s hand again and they walked the short distance to Rhi’s SUV and stopped.

“So…two girls. Who holds open the door for the other?” Rhiannon asked, having fun with the situation.

“Well…you are driving…so how about you hold my door here…and I hold the door of the restaurant for you…”

“Sounds like a very solid adaptation ma’am.” Rhiannon opened the passenger door and helped her date inside. Walking around and climbing behind the wheel she giggled and seeing the huge grin on her date’s face quipped, “You know…this is about as sappy as sappy can get…”

“I don’t disagree…and Megan is in near hysterics over our antics…”

Gonna ‘tune out’ my ass, Rhi thought. “Alright you two…let’s go eat…”

In a short while they arrived at a modest building, painted a dark color and decorated with delicate Japanese artwork of cherry blossoms, Mount Fuji-san, and geisha’s. Rhiannon parked the Rav and looked over at her date expectantly.

“Sushi..? Good choice…”

“You and Megan approve..?”

“Two enthusiastic yes votes…”

True to their word, A held the door for Rhiannon.

As they entered, Rhiannon was quickly greeted by one of the servers—a pretty, black-haired girl about the blonde’s age.

“Rhi..? Are you working tonight? I didn’t see you on the schedule…”

“Sorry, Kira, no.” She took Megan/A’s hand into her own and held it. “We’re on a date…” she said, proudly.

“Oh…well. Welcome then. Rhiannon—would you like your favorite booth?”

“We would, please—if that is available…”

“It is—follow me.” Kira collected rolled silverware and two menus and guided them to a curtained, comfy booth in a quiet corner near the back of the restaurant. The place was busy but not overly crowded. They were by no means the only couple present who were obviously on a date. Another server was passing them carrying a tray of an elegant sushi that was partially on fire! A small bronze bust of Buddha happy-faced gazed at them from a table nearby.

Kira seated them, took their drink orders and left them to study the menu.

“This is very, very nice. My compliments on your choice,” said A/Megan, glancing over the sushi and dinner menus.

“It is. One of the reasons I pick up serving shifts here is the quality of the food.” Rhiannon lowered her voice just a bit and commented, “I thought back here might be best, privacy wise—you never know if we might discuss nefarious activities such as incorporeal entities possessing the bodies of trans-men, young cheerleaders, and chefs and such…” Rhiannon raised an eyebrow.

Her pretty date smiled over the menu and laughed mischievously. “Oh please… Incorporeal entities? Surely no such thing exists, my dear…”

“Hmmm…in my experience many such things are possible… Do you see anything you like?”

Megan/A looked up. “Of course I do. But now I should look at the menu…”

“You sweet-talker… You are pretty good at this dating thing—better than I recall, in fact. Just who have you been practicing your romantic whiles upon…?”

A/Megan looked at Rhiannon, and rested their chin in their hand. “Well…you caught me, so I will confess. There is this lovely young woman…for four years she has lived in my imagination. She has blonde hair and these huge blue eyes you could just get lost in. She is also very smart and very kind…and she treats me like I am the best person ever. And very often I spent time with her there—in my imagination—sometimes going on romantic dates, or taking adventurous journeys together… Sometimes this girl in my imagination is just--with me—doing inconsequential things…talking, doing chores, reading together…holding hands and walking a sparkling ocean beach at sunrise or lying outdoors at night, under the stars…

“But now…tonight…she is very, very real. And she is sitting in your chair, looking at me like I am the greatest fool under heaven. And I am…I am a fool for ever leaving her side. And with her gentle permission…I will never leave her side again…”

A looked at an utterly still, wide-eyed Rhiannon. “What..?”

Rhiannon blinked back tears asking herself, was that the waterproof mascara?? “Damn, A…that was…damn… I mean…jeez… I think, I think I just ovulated…”

“Uh…ok…”

“I’m sorry… that was…without a doubt the sweetest, most romantic thing that has ever been said to me… My heart was so full I had to go for a joke… Hey—come here, please…”

They leaned into each other over the table and shared an unhurried kiss.

Their server, Rhiannon’s apparent co-worker, slid in through the curtains of the booth at exactly that moment and after nearly dropping both their drinks said, “Oh—so sorry…excuse me…”

“Kira it’s fine…this is my date.” Rhi reached over and ran her thumb lightly over A/Megan’s lips where their kiss had smudged her date’s lipstick. “You may call her Megan…but she also goes by A…”

“Megan…and A…as in A…like the letter?”

“Just like the letter. Long story.”

“No doubt. Well, again-- welcome Megan…uh, A. Rhiannon. I can sing you a tale of our specials, but Rhiannon knows them better than I do. Have you two had a chance to decide on your meal?”

“A? The sushi here is the best in town. And their teriyaki dinners in a bento box are out of this world.”

“I believe I would prefer sushi. And anything with shrimp tempura—that’s my favorite…” A gave Rhi a wink from the upstage eye—meaning, the shrimp sushi roll was also Megan’s request.

“Very good. Shall I?”

“Yes please…”

Rhiannon took the dry erase marker and entered their choices on the laminated sushi menu. Kira peeked at the order, winked at Rhiannon, smiled at A/Megan and exited the booth.

After the server had left A/Megan reached over the table and took Rhiannon’s hand.

“You…introduced me…”

“Yeah…and Megan. Was that ok? I hope soon to share this place with all of you…”

“Of course…but—you introduced me to your coworker…by my name… That was…very, very considerate. No one has ever done that…ever…”

“I said I was proud to be out with you. And Megan. Nothing will change how I feel about that. As long as you are willing, I will find a way to acknowledge you…carefully of course…”

A laughed. “Megan says she just ovulated…on my behalf…”

“She’s a good scout…”

The two girls just looked at one another for a few minutes, each—finally—just a little nervous. They both took a drink. Rhiannon held her glass up—a silent toast. A/Megan clicked their glasses together and they drank again to each other.

Finally, A/Megan started the conversation. “Thank you for coming out with me. The last 24 hours has been far more …intense… than I had ever imagined for our reconnection. I was hoping that we could take this time and just be together…like we did when we were younger but—more us—more…now--as we are now. That made more sense in my head…”

“No, no—I get what you’re saying. I understand…and I agree… Thank you for asking me out…”

“Good.”

“But—there are some things you want to talk about.” Rhiannon did not phrase it as a question.

“Yes…I do. And some things I need to explain to you and bring you up to date about. And some of this—is not nice, date-night stuff. I hope I don’t spoil your evening… But…it’s past time for me to share some serious things with you…”

Kira popped back in with bowls of steaming hot miso soup and placed one in front of each of them. As she left, Rhiannon continued.

“A—I have gotten the impression from the very start of this that there are new concerns in your life. They may or may not involve me but I can easily see that you are worried—about how I will be affected…and how I might react.” Rhiannon had picked up her big soup spoon as had A/Megan. Each began to enjoy the miso.

“Spot on, my dear. Wow…this is excellent.”

“It is. I eat it by the quart when I get a cold. So—let’s talk. Then we can put it all in a box and just be two girls out on a date. Enjoy ourselves…”

“Sounds good. Ok… Four years ago, just before the whole…ending we went through—I learned…I am not the only one of my kind. There are—others—like me…”

“I had always wondered about that.”

“Yeah. It was all via our worrisome friend Nathan—and that minister he associated with—the one with the website about devil possession.”

“I remember…”

“I…was contacted…and I met Reverend Poole. Rhiannon—Reverend Poole was a host—there was a person like me using his body.”

“Holy…friggin’…shit…”

“He…well—he lured me into a meeting by dangling a promise of knowledge about people like us in front of me. He offered to teach me how to take over a body long term—possibly permanently. The person in Poole was awful…and just about as opposite to me as any person could be… Even so…I was so tempted to just stay in Alexander—keep his body indefinitely so I could be with you… And Poole or the person inside Poole tried to convince me that was easily accomplished…and that I should…that I was even entitled to do so. I was…soooo tempted… But—to keep Alexander—any host permanently—I just couldn’t do it…”

Rhiannon stared. Of course not, she thought. To chase away any body’s owner…would kill that owner. “A…that’s not who you are…”

“I know. But when you are part of the mix my common sense AND my best judgments are gone… Those were my choices. Be with you as Alexander or someone else—someone I would essentially…murder…or leave, be alone and heartbroken but with my morals intact…no lives lost by my doing and your life safe and as back to normal as I could arrange it. So…that is why I decided I needed to leave you… Because I was afraid that I would weaken and contact Poole again and take the option of being a single body person and stay with you forever.”

A gave Rhiannon a minute to react. The blonde girl closed her eyes and lowered her face. So much made better sense now, years later, to have a clearer insight into why A had made certain choices and the timing of those choices. A had tried back then to explain, but sixteen year old, heartsick Rhiannon had heard and understood little after learning A was leaving…

“Thank you for that. I am sorry you had to make such a no win choice.”

Their salads were delivered and Kira collected the empty soup bowls. She saw the sad look on Rhiannon’s face and the guilty look on A/Megan’s but of course did not comment. Rhi noticed her concern and smiled.

“Busy tonight…” Rhi commented. It was either that or talk about the weather.

“Yeah, for a holiday weekend and all… the campus mostly empty. Your order will be ready soon. A? May I bring you or your date anything else in the meantime?”

“No thank you Miss Kira… You are most kind…”

“Blame her…she trained me…” The young waitress again left their booth.

“You have some lovely friends,” A/Megan observed.

“So do you,” said Rhiannon, with a sigh.

“I glanced at Megan’s memories of last night. You have been so sweet and welcoming to her. She is already very fond of you.”

“And I of her. I’m very happy you chose to not remain a loner. All the times over these years I thought about you…I was often afraid you were somewhere by yourself…just hopping from body to body…brooding in your own company…”

“I have done that at times…when I was the most depressed…the most self-deprecating… But your words echoed in my mind—leave traces and make marks… That day Megan was in line behind me I swear I could hear you yelling those words in my ear. I have fate and you to thank for Megan being in my life…”

A looked at the corner of the booth.

“Is she talking about ducking out for popcorn during the sentimental parts…?” Rhiannon was stirring her salad with her chopsticks, spreading the tangy ginger dressing around.

“Pretty close…”

“Suck it up, Megan—we both love you… Do you and her like tomatoes?”

“Uhhh…both of us actually…”

Rhiannon took her chopsticks and tossed the tomatoes from her salad onto her date’s bowl. “So…back to our story…”

“Yes. So…in the last four years I have been searching for more of my kind—more like me. And hopefully people more like me than Poole… But—so far—and now even with the help of the others—I have found very little but rumors and dried out leads. There are many more like me out there Rhiannon—I’m sure of it… but they are cautious and as secretive as I was…and not all of them share my convictions about not screwing up the lives I land in… Some of them Rhiannon…I swear…” A/Megan shook their head and shuddered.

“That bad..?”

“Some of these—Megan calls them Imps sometimes—like to jump from host to host wreaking chaos, ruining relationships, and committing crimes their hosts are ultimately blamed for. We have tried to track and record something…anything… about these Imps and maybe find some way to get their victims some justice. Here and there we have had some tiny bits of success in this. Avery has all the details and will share them with you if and when you are willing. And some non-corporeals—well—I have learned there is at least one---who is a cold-blooded murderer… As horrible as it sounds…imagine a very sadistic, gruesomely efficient serial killer…who has no permanent body…”

“Shit… That is…dark…”

A nodded. “Landon gave that one a name…Demonio…

“Do you see why I stayed away as long as I did? Yes, I hoped you were happy but also because I have all this drama and—dear God, Rhiannon-- out and out evil that I am tracking…and I did not want to bring that any closer to you… I still don’t. And I will do whatever I must—short of leaving you again—to keep that part of our lives away from you.”

“A…your troubles are my troubles…from now on. Do you hear me..? And yes, I do understand better about your motivations for staying away…but that is over now. We are back together and we are going to stay together… Imps, demons—whatever--can kiss my single bodied ass…”

“I say again…I was a fool…”

“A fool with a huge heart…and a moral compass that never waivers from doing what is right…”

The curtain was parted again and their dinner order was delivered on a large platter. Kira placed this and two multi-compartment mini-trays each with a trio of savory and sweet sushi sauces on the table in front of each. She collected their drinks and was back with refills in only a moment. She also laid smaller serving plates down for each.

“You were an apt student.” A/Megan observed.

“Awwww…” their server said, blushing.

“She was…”

“Flattery…enjoy. If you need anything else, just shout. And save room for dessert. Tempura ice cream is on the house for the cutest couple of the night…”

“It’s good to be here with a regular.” A/Megan quipped as Kira left them to eat.

“It is… This one has the shrimp. This roll is like a California roll with some chopped lobster and other yummy-ness on top. And this one is a veggie roll.”

“I am impressed. When did you become a foodie?”

Each took sticks in hand and began to savor the sushi. “Partially when I had to start waiting tables for college money. And partially when I found out I was doing the vegetarian diet completely wrong and made myself…well…rather sick. It was the summer after senior year. Anemia and some vitamin deficiencies…”

“I was wondering about that. Megan saw some items in your fridge…” A/Megan slid a lobster roll slice into their mouth and after a second to savor the taste, rolled their eyes back. “I agree…yummy-ness…”

“Yeah. I try and stick with seafood proteins but…once in awhile… Want some?” Rhi held up the table’s bottle of soy sauce.

“Yes please…” She poured the other girl a couple millimeters of the Asian condiment and then herself some into the little soy sauce bowls on the table.

“So you and your Scooby Gang are a squad of evil non-corporeal hunters, dedicated to truth and justice…”

“When you say it like that…sounds really noble. Guess they should make a movie about us…”

“Hmmmm. A person with no body who wakes up every day in some random stranger—for just one day each…and falls for some silly high school girl… Then chases her and makes her fall in love with them… Crazy… Would even die-hard sci-fi fans believe it?”

“You’re right—it IS implausible, even for hard science fiction. Maybe not a box office smash. But I have to say, the romance fans would love the leading lady…”

Rhiannon shrugged. “Sure. If you can get that cute young Australian actress with the unique name to play me… But--who would we get to play you?”

A/Megan gathered up a slice of ginger with their sticks. “That would be weird. I dunno—maybe get 20 different actors to play me..?”

“Well…there goes the budget.”

They both thought about it for a moment and then laughed.

“So…hunting down the bad guys like a non-corporeal FBI…is that all? What did you do with the other three and half years, hmmm?”

“Yeah. No big task…easy. But seriously, much of the last four years was spent meeting my new family and learning how to do the willing connection and sharing like Megan. That took time—lots of it-- for each of them. There are other new people in my life other than her, the boys and Laura and Carmilla… Not everyone I have met becomes a friend… Of those that do, not everyone is capable AND willing to become a host. We never push it…new chums have to come to us first…”

“Sounds like you have been genuinely busy…”

“Well…I tried to stay out of trouble… And I still go out and let myself wake up in random hosts. I met you, Megan, Landon…everyone I hold dear that way. Who knows the wonderful person that might be next…and…”

A/Megan laid down their sticks and took a drink. The mood of the conversation was changing.

“A..? What is it? By now you must realize you can tell me anything…”

“Ah… Megan tells me she told you about her diabetes…”

“Yeah…so…are you in the miracle business these days..?”

“If so, I can’t take credit. All I know is when Megan and I first joined I could…sense her body fighting the…deficit…in her physical body that wouldn’t process sugar correctly. So…without even really noticing I was doing it, I helped her body in that fight. Just tossed a little oomph at it…a ‘poke in the pancreas’ Megan is reminding me she called it. In a few weeks her insulin pump kept beeping indicating that her dose was too high. She lowered it again and again…still—‘BEEP, BEEP too much medicine, silly’…until she just turned it off…and never needed to turn it back on…”

“And Landon’s hearing…?”

“Pretty much the same story. Landon lost his hearing as a child. I could feel those scarred nerves in his ears and brain. And I kept giving him a…well…a sort of sense-memory of what it felt like to hear. That made him very happy. I gave him memories of every piece of music I had ever heard-- or played when I was in a musician or singer—or any music-lover. When I was with him, I was as deaf as he was. I learned sign from him and so did Megan. I had also accessed his ability to read lips so we got on fairly well—as he had for years—in the hearing world. But…the same thing as Megan happened…I just kept thinking about his scarred nerves and one day I searched around in his body and found a new, secondary pathway of nerves to send sound to his brain… well…the rest you know…”

“A miracle…”

“Maybe. But I’m not a faith-healer, not a prophet…just a person who owed some very special people a huge debt of gratitude for freeing me from random travels every single day… They gave me their bodies and their love…and I just…loved them back…and…” A/Megan shrugged.

“Rhiannon…? Now that you know about these things with the others’ health…I…I have to say--”

“No. Don’t you say it…”

A was confused. “How did you know..?” A gazed upward as a bit of memory was accessed from earlier that evening. “Oh, hell Megan…”

“Don’t be mad at her. And don’t beat yourself up about Alexander. The events of the last four years had to unfold of their own accord and at the right times with the right people… Alexander’s illness and his death happened long, long before you could have dreamed you would be able to occupy him a second time… “

“True…” A admitted.

“And would he have been able to be a host… or willing?”

“Also true…”

“I can also tell you this; when I told Alexander about you—and everything you meant to me and had done for me--he was a little jealous at first…but ultimately…he respected the hell out of you. He told me many times he was a bit in awe of you in fact. He might have been willing to try and be an Avery or a Landon for you…but I know in my heart…when he got sick again…he never would have risked your life…even if it prolonged his… It was one of the things that I truly loved about him. His moral compass…reminded me of you…”

Megan/A started to tear up. They took their napkin and blotted away the tears.

“Waterproof mascara?”

“Yep…”

As soon as A/Megan had regained their calm, Rhiannon held out her date’s chopsticks with a raised eyebrow. A laughed and took them and went back to eating.

“Ready to put all this in the box?”

“Pretty much. One last topic. Just—you know Avery was arrested? We went to post bail and get him out of custody…”

“I had an idea…”

“And a gossipy new best friend—name of Megan. Avery is a computer genius. Earned MIT and Harvard degrees—both before he turned seventeen. Avery is also a hacker. He searches the Internet and collects most of the data about other non-corporeals and helps us in our efforts to find other Good Guys as well as Imps. Avery is also the source of our money. He…well…you know…it would be kinda hard for me to hold down a nine to five job…”

“I think I may see where this is going… So—do you rob banks?”

“Well…close. We steal from the rich…like Robin Hood…”

“Oh…my…God…”

“Actually we—appropriate money from well…thieves… Avery can find hidden, usually illegal accounts that obviously belong to embezzlers or crime bosses or crooked politicians…and we take away the bad guys’ control of the funds, send stolen money back to rightful owners as we can…and drop evidence in the laps of the authorities. Avery—under one of his many hacker pseudonyms is well known…and grudgingly respected by the FBI…”

“Let me guess…Robin and his Merry Men skim a small finders’ fee off the top…”

“Well…we gotta eat. And put gas in the RV… Landon left his restaurant career for this and Megan is on a leave of absence from Columbia…but trust me…when you look at the biographies of some of the scum we exploit…you won’t think less of us…”

“So…what happened..? Avery was arrested…for—what?”

“To tell you the truth, I saw the paperwork at the county courthouse jail…and I still don’t understand it. And no one there was especially forthcoming with information…even the arresting officers were acting like they had never seen Avery before. And trust me, any police officer WOULD remember the very colorful things he said when they took him into custody without formal—or logical--charges. Either the charges will vanish or Avery will get on the computer and make them go away—more likely the former. We are concerned—seeing all that weirdness--that it might be the work of an Imp…”

“Oops…”

“Yeah…”

“Avery was actively tracking an Imp?”

“Indirectly. He was looking over some records that might lead us to fix some of the damage one Imp caused. And Avery is very, very careful to use only random access points to get on the net. He would never use the wifi at your place, or Megan’s dorm, or Landon’s restaurant for any hacking. Another reason why we have the RV…Avery needing to get to some café or coffee shop in some distant, random location. That’s why he was half-way across the state last night…

A/Megan sighed. ”I guess I am done confessing our deeds, noble and not so much… Thanks for listening…”

“Of course…any time…”

“So…do you want to forget you ever knew me or the others…?”

“A…don’t even joke about that. Sure, I would rather not visit anyone in jail any time soon…but—I think I see the mischief you and the kids are up to and why… And you’re right about helping people who have been harmed by those…Imps…”

“I often feel like I have found my calling in life. I was born to do two things. Chase bad non-corporeals…and love you…”

“There ya go again with the romance… You know I’m going home with you, whatever…right?” There were two pieces of sushi left and Rhi popped one into her mouth.

“Well…I hope so…I am your house-guest after all…” A took the last piece.

@@@@@@@@@@@

After their meal—including the delicious plum wine favored tempura ice cream—they returned to the Rav. A asked to drive.

“Do you have something in mind?” Rhi asked.

“Yes—another stop, if you are willing?”

“Sure. Need a navigator?”

A smiled mischievously. “I think I can find this.”

Their drive was fairly brief and Rhiannon could quickly see that A was driving onto the campus.

“Why here? Wanna see my classrooms?”

“Maybe later. I actually have something to give you…a memento of this our first date in four years…but—I need the proper venue…”

A/Megan parked at the large lot north of the university library. It was empty. After hopping out and opening Rhiannon’s door A took their date’s hand and they walked toward the large, ground floor doors of the library building.

“You know, the place is closed, right…”

“I do…don’t worry…”

“You are up to something…but I am having fun waiting to see what it might be… You guys cold?”

“Not too much. Thanks to this cardigan from my thoughtful date. Are you ok? You’re the one in the skirt…”

“I am fine. Big sweater, new tights, warm hand to hold…”

Soon they had arrived at a nondescript white door near the side of the building.

“A…this door…”

“Yes..?”

“The rotunda..?”

“Yes. That is our destination…”

“What… do you know..?” Rhiannon was intrigued. How could A know about the rotunda..?

“Many things my dear. Now, Avery is waiting on a text from me to pop this lock remotely… But I have a feeling that there is a more convenient and more local option… Am I right..?”

Rhiannon shook her head and looked left and right…muttered something about campus police catching them and pulled her wallet from her purse. Taking out her student ID she slid the plastic card into the seam above the lock and as she did so, she hammered the door a couple of times with the flat side of her fist…

The lock popped open.

“You are a corrupting influence…” she said hurriedly, scooting them both inside and closing the door behind them.

“Me..? Who picked the lock…?”

They made their way to a staircase and after A/Megan took off the high heels climbed the five flights quickly. One more, gratefully unlocked door later and they were again outside…

But…not actually outside.

Rhi and A were standing in the library’s decorative, top floor rotunda. But more than an architectural decoration, the area was also an erstwhile observation deck.  
The round, open area, fully thirty feet in diameter was glassed in and thus they had a magnificent view of the city this cool, clear evening, but were not exposed to the chilly wind.

“How did you know that I like to come up here?”

“Over the last years apart from you, I found myself seeking out high places with lovely views. Maybe I was reminded of our day together when I took us to the mountain. I know I was looking at the horizon, trying to guess where you were… wondering if you were doing the same, looking toward me… Turns out…maybe you were doing just that…”

A reached into a pocket and pulled out something.

“I know that you were up here at least once before…and seeing your prowess with that door lock downstairs, I surmise more than once… Can you tell me the story of you and this place?”

Rhiannon walked the circumference of the concrete floor looking all directions out the glass windows. There were no lights on in the rotunda, but campus lighting below, city lights around them and the face of the three-quarter moon in the clear sky above cast an almost magical glow about the space.

“Yeah…my sister helped me move into town my first semester. I had taken a campus tour about a month before and the guide brought me up here. I just…loved the view… Made me feel a bit more at home away from home, you know? So…when we got all my stuff unloaded and before she headed home, Jo and I came up here… She said she wanted to talk to me…a serious talk…

“I told Jolene about you here… I was standing right here in fact. She really wanted to know. She said, ‘Rhi—we’ve never been that close…and it’s gonna be at least 6 or 8 months until we next see each other… and I know something happened to you that year in high school… You don’t have to tell me anything…but I do love you…you are my sister and whatever happened then and whatever may happen from now on…I want you to know you can call me…that I am always there for you…’ I think she had it in her head that I had gotten pregnant that year or had been abused or tripped out briefly on drugs… OR—her biggest concern--that I had gotten into a polyamorous cult of some kind… seeing as I had a different person in my life each day…

“So…I told her about meeting you…told her our whole story…all of it. She just…listened… I actually quoted you on our coming out day. I said ‘you may not believe me, you may want to laugh, you may want to leave…’ but she didn’t do any of those…she just listened… When I was done, she said I had to be telling the truth …that no way was I creative enough to come up with such a crazily detailed lie…”

“Did you know she took a photo of you?”

Rhi’s eyed widened, her brows elevated as she recalled. “Yeah…it showed up in my email about…two months later—I guess… I didn’t notice at the time…”

“Well…look at this…” A held out a folding leather cover for a wallet sized photo. Rhi took it and was unsurprised to see—her own face.

The photograph was a perfect image of Rhiannon. In the frame she was at the railing on the southernmost section of the rotunda, leaning on her crossed forearms, turned an almost three quarter arc toward the camera. The slightly younger woman in the photo was looking out at the sun-washed horizon in the late summer afternoon. The photo Rhiannon was wearing a sleeveless sundress in pale blue cotton and had her hair pulled back. The skin of her face and arms was awash in sunlight. But it was the look on the face of the girl captured in the image that made the photo utterly memorable. Picture Rhiannon was focused on the unseen distance, pink lips parted, pale blue eyes wistful and a little sad.

It was the picture of a girl who knew love…and loss…but still somewhere in her heart…knew hope as well…

“Is this that picture?”

“Yeah… Yeah—it’s on my social media page in fact. You found it there?”

“Megan found your Facebook page. I couldn’t ever make myself bring it up on a computer but she looked at it many times and her memory of it—was sharp. I caught myself looking at those memories of hers over and over. She noticed…of course she noticed. She printed out this picture and gave it to me for my birthday…

“Whoever gives me a body for the day puts this into a pocket right before or after the transfer… And the hosts keep it for me when I am not around. This is the only personal item I have ever owned…the only thing that has ever been mine... For over two years this has been my most treasured—and only—possession.

“For so long, I would look out at the horizon, at sunrises and sunsets. I would look up at the night sky and think of you. I would read a book and suddenly think, I wonder if Rhiannon has ever read this… Each and every time I looked at that photo of you up here, just gazing out over the skyline…I saw your face in that image and part of me wondered…”

“Stop wondering… I was thinking of you too… Every class I took I asked myself, does A know about this? Every new job I got, I wondered—is this where I will be working when I hear from A again… Every email…every unknown number phone call…every knock at the door…“

“So…I was right. I had convinced myself that I wasn’t…and that all I had of you…all I would ever have of you and of us…was this photo…”

A/Megan closed the distance between them and kissed Rhiannon gently. Then A said, “And now…I want to give it to you.”

“No, A…you said this was your most cherished possession…I can’t accept this…”

“Of course you can my dearest love… Don’t you see—I don’t need it any more… I don’t need a picture of you…I have you…the real you…”

Rhiannon burst into tears. A/Megan began to weep as well. The lovers collected each other into a warm embrace and held on. In between happy tears they exchanged kiss after kiss. Finally, through damp eyes and in between sniffles, Rhiannon took the photo wallet from A.

“A…I will accept this only if you will let me replace it with a gift from me…”

“My love, I need nothing but you…but anything you wish to give me, I will of course accept and treasure.”

Rhiannon opened her purse and took out her billfold. From within a zippered pouch she took out a small shiny item.

It was a Post-It note. It was laminated, front and back.

On the faded, crinkled yellow paper was a simple drawing of a heart.

“You’re not the only sappy romantic here. This has been MY most treasured keepsake for four years. I am never without it. I gave this to you our last night together as a tiny gesture of my love…and as a goodbye. When you were gone, and I woke up and found that you had given it back to me… I have kept this because this simple thing was given to me by the love of my life…”

She handed it to A/Megan—who immediately held it over their heart. Rhiannon was clutching her photo as well.

For a long while the reunited loves just held each other and watched the night around them from their safe vantage point. All was well in both their hearts… They were together…

@@@@@@@@@@@

When A and Rhiannon came back into the apartment, Rhi immediately noted several dramatic things had evidently occurred while the two (three) of them had been out.

One, the place was clean. Like just post spring cleaning clean. Like day they moved in clean. Books and papers were neatly sorted and stacked on tables and shelves. The futon was utterly spotless of cat hair and spill stains. Damn—had they shampooed the rugs? No way, not in a couple of hours… but still-- it appeared something dramatic had happened, carpet-wise…

Likewise the kitchen was clean from the linoleum up--and someone had tinkered together a pair of old plastic milk crates and some cardboard carpet roll tubes into a DIY wine rack. Dinner dishes and the lasagna pan rested in the strainer by the sink, sparkling clean. Rhi peeked in the fridge. It too was spotless…and—fully stocked. So was the pantry.

Rhiannon noted a dim glow from under the shut doors of each guest room so she felt comfortable hollering, “Hey boys! Thank you…so much…”

Avery: “You’re welcome…”

Landon: “Surprise is not over yet… Keep looking…”

“Did you know about this?”

“Not a clue… Though, it is kinda par for the course for those two…cocky and a pain in the ass one minute and as sweet as a first kiss the next.”

Rhiannon peeked into her own room and almost forgot to breathe.

Clean, of course. It looked like everything in the room had been washed from curtains to bed linens. The bed was neatly made and turned down. The two round bedside tables were newly covered in some lacy white cloth and a vase of fresh wildflowers was on each. Rhiannon’s desk was tidy and her laptop was showing a screen saver of an expensive, but effective debugging and defragging software. But the main change was the string of tiny white fairy lights that had been hung on the wall behind the bed in a pleasing, draped pattern. The overhead lights were off, and several scented candles placed in various locations were casting a soft amber glow in addition to the new decorative lights.

“Wow…”

“Double wow…”

“This is so…nice. And…kind of romantic.”

“Those two have been dying to meet you. This looks like their way of celebrating that…and us…”

“Thank you for dinner. And our talk…” Rhiannon put down her purse and walked over to Megan/A and stood close.

“Thank you for your company. I hope we can do it again…”

“Oh…I think so… Would say, anytime we like for the rest of our lives fit your schedule...?”

“I do believe that can be penciled in, my dear.”

They hugged and then gave each other a brief but unhurried kiss. Then, they just looked at each other for a long moment.

“Well…need anything?” A asked.

“I can’t think of anything…” Rhiannon replied.

“Ready for bed…?”

“Yes…are you..?”

“Very ready... So…you’re tired?”

Rhiannon grinned thru pursed lips. “Nope…not tired at all…”

“Oh…”

“Yes, oh…”

The pause that followed was prolonged and more than a bit uncomfortable.

“Do we…need to talk about this?” A finally asked. That very nervous, almost nerdy look of A’s on Megan’s face was priceless and funny as hell.

“What…sex? Intimacy? Safety regarding STI’s? Do you know if Megan is on permanent contraception? I would hate for one—or even both-- of us to get pregnant…”

“You joke…but I am…well…”

“Nervous..?”

“Uh…yeah…”

“Why? It’s not like this would be our first time or anything…”

“I know…but…that was four years ago…and we never…uh…”

“I remember… I was THERE A…”

“Yes of course….”

“You are so cute and funny when you are flustered.”

“I’m glad I can entertain… Sorry. I shouldn’t be acting like we’re still sixteen… And we knew tonight was for romance…”

“Oh it has definitely been romantic…and sweet…and informative… And while romance doesn’t necessarily lead to sex always, I was hoping that tonight…” Rhi just smiled and tipped her head to one side slightly.

“To be honest, I guess in my heart of hearts…I was hoping too…”

“Is it the girl-girl thing?”

“Well…yeah… I mean…have you ever been with a girl?” A asked.

“As a matter of fact—yes I have…” Finally, Rhiannon, thought, someone asked the obvious question.

A was taken aback—and judging by the degree of surprise on that cute face--Megan was too. “Oh… I—didn’t know.”

“And now you do. And you have been a gay or bisexual girl many times, A…you know how things work I assume…”

“Yeah…and you cannot believe the number of times I had to sit through the sex ed lectures back in our high school years… Whatever school my host went to, it seemed—that day was the sex lecture day…”

“So…you are properly educated…”

“Yes ma’am… I am just…a little scared…”

“Of me? Of Megan?” Rhiannon tried a joke. She took their held hands and showed A her fingers. “A… I trimmed my nails and everything…” A looked and immediately saw Megan’s fingers interlaced with Rhi’s. A’s obvious embarrassment was coloring Megan’s face a cherry red.

“Holy shit…looks like Megan did too…”

“A…please. Take a breath before you hyperventilate…and a brief favor? Can I talk to Megan for a minute?”

“Oh, gladly…” A looked as if they were never happier than now to release control of a host and duck into the ‘green room’. In just a few seconds the sonar was ping-less and Megan was there and nervously amused. And noticeably blushing less than her occupant…but, only a bit less…

“Hi… Fancy meeting you here. You rang..?”

“Hello you. Tuning out just now?”

“Oh hell no!!! Would you?”

“Good. This may be a silly question with all the double entendres you were dropping earlier, but--are you on board with this plan?”

“Yes…as long as you are sure…”

“I am…” Rhiannon punctuated her statement by gently tucking a loose bit of Megan’s hair behind her ear.

“And you could have told me you’ve been with a girl before! Saved a shit ton of drama…”

“I liked watching you squirm…” Rhiannon confessed.

“Well…I hope I gave good squirm… Anything else?”

“Can I have a kiss before nervous Nellie comes back?”

“Oh, yeah…”

Their kiss was soft, sweet and so many emotions were contained therein. Their faces only centimeters apart, Rhiannon whispered to Megan’s lips, “You know my love for A is not the only reason…right..?”

“I never doubted it… And I am NOT gonna tune out…”

“My heart would break if you did…”

“Ok…later, cutie…” Megan winked and moved in for another kiss.

Right in the middle of the kiss, they swapped back.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Ping. Ok, time to talk this out.

“A…come here please…”

Rhiannon stepped out of her shoes, folded her legs underneath her and sat up on the bed. When A came over and sat, Rhi took their hands in both of hers. Rhi sighed. One way or the other, this elephant was out of the bedroom for good.

“Please just listen to me for a minute.”

“Alright…”

“A—I love you…with all my heart. And I am not pushing an agenda, I have no demands. I would never ask you to be someone you’re not…and I would never ask you to do something with me that you are not comfortable doing…ok?”

A nodded, gazing down toward their held hands. “I know these things…” 

“That said, I want to tell you some things about myself—some things that have changed since the last time we were together…

“A…I am very content with who I am. And I am proud of what I have learned and accomplished and proud of what I stand for. I am also proud—and grateful--that I have grown up enough to only choose healthy relationships with people that make me feel good about myself… in that aspect alone I am very different from the girl you met. All this took me awhile and though I did this by myself— I do have you to thank for putting me on the right path…so…thank you for that.

“Back then, I was not fully comfortable with my body—like many girls I judged myself on my appearance and I was way too critical and unforgiving of my flaws. I looked to others for my self esteem instead of making it myself, from my own body, mind and spirit. None of that is true anymore. I enjoy my body and I am comfortable with my sexuality--I value the physical side of a relationship very much. Who and what I need and want are just as much a part of me as my blue eyes…and I have nothing to feel guilty about or ashamed of. I am beautiful inside and outside…and anyone I choose to be with—well—I give them a gift...I give them…me…

“A…little of that means much to you, I know. All this time I was working on me I thought about you too. You have never had anything physical that was yours and only yours…”

Rhiannon stroked a finger down the side of Megan’s beautiful face and watched as A gazed lovingly back at her from behind the girl’s huge brown eyes. How clearly she could see A there…

“My dear love—who is not a boy or a girl, not black or white, not gay or straight…all of these and none of these…it must be so hard for you to comprehend us solid types and how our bodies define us…how they call so, so strongly to us when love is involved…

Rhiannon scooted closer to A and held their eyes locked onto her own.

“I don’t want to sound like I am trying to talk you into anything. I just want you to know who I am now, inside and outside…and all these things that I have been talking about--all of ME…is yours. I have always been…yours…” As she said the last, she took A’s hands and placed them on either side of her own face. A held on for a moment, and then moved in and kissed Rhiannon slowly, deeply, and sensuously.

“Rhiannon..?”

“Yes, A…”

A gazed, eyes down at their once again held hands. “Would you tell me…talk to me…about things you like…things that… please you?”

“I would like that… and you won’t be surprised by much of what I have to say… we have already done most of it together when we were sixteen…”

“Tell me anyway…? Please…”

“Alright… I like to be touched…everywhere. I like to be kissed…on the lips, on my face, on my neck, pretty much all over… I like when someone holds me—even just to sleep. Having Megan in my bed has been—wonderful. I had almost forgotten just how good it can feel to wake up wrapped up in warm arms and legs.”

“She says thank you… What else..?”

“I like it when my heart beats faster and my breathing gets quicker…I like feeling excited and I really love it when the person I am with gets excited too—and that feeling for them is because of me. I love when the feelings and sensations and excitement all take over and both lovers just—give in to it…let it happen…trust each other to ride the waves of the loving closeness until everyone is giggling happy and loose-limbed satisfied…and ready to pee and cuddle and go to sleep…

“And maybe most of all—I like the little looks and smiles that lovers give each other out and about in everyday life…that look that says, ‘you and I have a secret.’ Of course it’s not really a secret—everyone around you knows you two are a couple and knows you have seen each other naked…but those little smiles are just the best because those exchanged glances and smiles are just for the couple… A public expression of their most private and intimate sharing…”

“All of that is wonderful… and I do know it all and have felt all of it—everything you have said…”

“I know…but—only through your hosts…”

“Yes… I think my fear about intimacy is because none of those wonderful experiences truly belong to ME---I always share them—with my host… I always get them second hand. I guess it makes me feel…wrong. Like I am not completely invested—like…I can’t be—like you said—yours…

“Rhiannon…I want to be yours. Forever. Body and soul as the saying goes. You have my soul…you always have… but…”

“You can only give me…”

“Someone else’s body…”

Rhiannon held back tears. She had always wondered about A’s reticence about love-making. Her dread had taken her imagination a hundred different places. Even after the times four years ago when they had cuddled and played and been happy together, she had wondered about A and sex. She knew part of the issue was about A taking the host body on a journey without the owner’s conscious consent. Rhi also knew about the gender and sexuality barriers they had faced, now hopefully behind them. She knew part of it was the fear associated with an unplanned child—and the horrid uncertainty of the future for any such baby. But she knew that there was more to it and she had always feared that this—disconnection-- was the origin of that anxiety for A.

She was profoundly sad to be right.

“A…I love you. And I don’t have all the answers. Maybe there are none—or maybe there are no answers either of us will know in our lives… But I am yours…in any way and in every way you will have me…and any part of you that you are willing to share I will accept—gratefully…”

A was starting to cry…crazy tears that are part happy, part sad, part just crazy because if you don’t cry out the crazy, mixed up, cannot- make-sense-of-it-all feelings…you will go genuinely… crazy…

“What is it..?” Rhi asked, cupping her love’s face.

“Megan…just told me something…”

“That she loves you…” Rhi guessed.

“Yeah…”

“What else..?”

“That she has fallen in love with you…and wants to be with you. That she fell in love with me long ago… and she always knew that any physical kind of love between us was not possible because I belonged to you. She would never want me to be hurt by anything she feels for you or for me… some…some of these tears are hers…”

“What else is she saying…?” Rhiannon asked in a gentle whisper.

“It’s so sweet…hang on, let me repeat this right… She said, ‘A…I gave you the freedom to borrow my body years ago…and now I offer everything else. Tonight think of it as your body or our body… Don’t feel like you are taking anything from me, ever. What I give you, I give you wholeheartedly, without reservations or judgments—just with all the love in my heart. And I would be honored to share in your love for this amazing woman…’ ”

“Megan…” Rhiannon whispered it like a benediction.

“Yeah…”

Rhiannon sighed, and brushed the tears off her face. Then she reached over and brushed A’s tears—and Megan’s—off the beautiful face next to her.

“Rhiannon..?” A was smiling…shy, but confident.

“Yes…”

“Tonight…and any night you will have me…I am yours. Soul--and body. Please…may I make you happy?”

“I’m already happy…”

“What is your fondest wish for this night?”

“That you and I relax, take off these fancy clothes…and snuggle down on these lovely clean sheets…and enjoy being together…”

“What else..?”

“I look forward to tomorrow…because I hope tomorrow to give you a special glance—and share our most private level of closeness with each other and the rest of the world. Maybe we can make Avery and Landon blush. Anything else between now and then...how about…we just make up as we go…”

“Just as you wish my love…just as you wish…”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now it gets really interesting... These characters have taken over... I am just their willing host.

The morning was peeking through the bedroom curtains as two girls cuddled closely together under messy sheets and blankets, opened their eyes at the same moment.

Rhiannon smiled a bit shyly and when she received a smile in answer from her bed-mate immediately tightened her embrace on the dark-haired and eyed girl and kissed her deeply. The morning kiss was enthusiastically answered in kind until just a moment later when from within their clinch could be heard:

“Oh--Rhiannon..? It’s me…Megan…”

Rhiannon pulled back and stared with unashamed love at the girl in her arms and whispered, “I know…I knew as soon as you opened your eyes…”

“Oh…” said Megan. Then she saw the tiny smirk on Rhi’s face and said, “OH!! Ok…well then…” The petite former cheerleader’s smile was almost as bright as the late fall morning sun in the window.

“Well then…”

After a few unhurried minutes of touch, fondle, and making out their eyes met again and they shared a quick, nervous, morning-after laugh.

“Good morning…you ok?” Megan asked.

“Good morning back…and I am way more than ok…you?” Rhiannon answered.

“Very well and happy, thank you. A is asleep… I—I think…” Megan was grinning ear to ear and was beginning to giggle.

“What..?” Rhi was starting to laugh too.

“I think we wore them out…”

Now the mood was utterly joyful and completely silly—just as laughter between happy lovers should be.

“Ooops… Now we’ve done it…A is awake…” Megan listened to an inner voice. “Just hang on…I’ll give you your girl back in a second… Lemme enjoy her for one more minute, please… Thank you…”

“Was that ‘thank you’ for me or A?” Rhiannon smoothed messy bed-hair from Megan’s face.

“For you cuteness…”

“For?”

“Everything… You are wonderful…and special… I never wondered why A fell in love with you…but now I really understand that love…”

“Megan… You’re making me blush…”

“Oh you already are sweetie…beet red.” Megan’s face became more serious for a moment. “I just wanted to say…I hope you are ok with me saying—I too have fallen for you… I am in love with you Rhiannon. And you don’t have to say it back right now—I just wanted you to know—to say it out loud… Is that alright..?”

“Completely alright. As long as you can handle this…”

“What?”

“I love you too, Megan. Makes no sense I know, but that’s how it is—how I feel…”

“Wow…ok… I want to be greedy and keep you—but someone else really wants to say good morning…”

“So now I get my second chance to blush about last night…”

“And we both get two good morning kisses… Love you…talk to you later.”

In only a moment, Rhiannon was now seeing her other bed-mate.

“Hello…” A greeted, shyly. A peeked under the sheet at their chest and noted the lack of clothing below.

“Hi…good morning. Sleep well?”

“Yes dear I did. You?”

“Very well, thank you.”

A/Megan stroked Rhiannon’s hair back from her face, cupped the girl’s cheeks and then kissed her slowly and lovingly. Rhi kissed back and then nuzzled her lover’s neck. Rhiannon was again certain of something she had gleaned last night: despite the same lips and tongue being used, A and Megan kissed differently.

And each lover’s kisses were unquestionably wonderful.

“So…you were right,” A said through a sigh, over Rhiannon’s head.

The blonde girl finished her thorough kiss of A/Megan’s neck and replied, “I often am—about what this time..?”

“You said things would work out…and they did… Are you happy?”

”Completely…”

“Me too. And I can’t recall Meggy ever being as happy as I can feel her now… She was laughing about you two wearing me out… I think we all wore each other out. I know I totally passed out after the last time… I guess we…”

Suddenly A was gasping and wiggling around on the bed.

“A! Honey…what’s wrong…?”

“Megan..?! Megan—that tickles!!”

“What is it...?”

“Meggy is laughing her ass off…and it…tickles!!!”

“Tickles..?”

“Yes! Megan! This is new…holy crap! Her laughter in here…” A was giggling uncontrollably. Rhiannon was also sharing in the mirth.

“Megan! Come on…”

Rhiannon could not recall ever seeing A…in all the bodies they had ever occupied in her company…ever appear this incredibly happy…

@@@@@@@

After a much needed shared shower, the girls tossed on some clothes.

“Ready to face the world?” A asked from the mirrored closet door. A/Megan was putting their hair up into a pony tail and Rhiannon was slipping on a tunic blouse over some leggings. Both ladies had opted for a family-only, lazy weekend day look…no makeup, super comfy clothes.

“Well…Avery and Landon at least…” Rhi took A/Megan’s hand.

Opening the bedroom door they were immediately overtaken by an utterly mouthwatering smell coming from Rhiannon’s kitchen.

Avery was lying on the floor by the recliner playing with Alexander’s ball of yarn play toy. The cat was deigning to give the redhead a few moments of his royal attention—as long as he kept the yarn ball in sight and moving. Landon could be heard in the kitchen humming and singing to himself and taking something from the oven.

“What is that I smell that is making me super hungry?” Rhi asked.

Avery looked up and smiled. “About time you two got up…”

“I needed my beauty sleep…and Rhi kept me company while I got it…” said A/Megan.

Landon peered around the corner.

“How was the epic date? And are you hungry?”

“The date was wonderful, thank you, and I am starving…”

“Rhi took me to her favorite sushi place. Delicious! We’ll take the whole gang there again soon. You two are gonna love it…”

“Sushi soon…this morning--brunch…eggs Benedict a la Landon… Come sit…”

“My kind of house company…you clean, you bring your own linens, you stock my pantry, you defrag the hard drive on my computer and this one…cooks!!! Remind me to invite you all to stay here more often…” Rhiannon had peeked into the kitchen and was completely impressed with what she saw—a culinary miracle considering her small, barely adequate kitchen.

Landon had made scones. That was the source of the buttery, fresh baked goods aroma that had permeated the apartment. A large skillet on the range held some delicately sliced cuts of some seasoned pork loin and a saucepan with a simmering golden liquid was in front. Perfectly poached eggs were on the warmer next to the range top. The kettle was on another burner, and was starting to whistle. Landon, white apron around his waist, white tea-towel tossed over one shoulder, was dancing from item to item with the grace of a gymnast and the focus of a NASA engineer at Launch Control, Houston. Even in Rhi’s tiny galley kitchen, the tall hazel-eyed man was obviously in his element. It was a treat to watch…and smell…

A/Megan turned and spoke quietly to Rhi.

“Rhiannon…?”

“Yes love…”

“In a little while…I’m going to transfer to Landon. It’s his day in the hosting rotation. And none too soon. Even before the kidnapping…and then joining us for our date…Megan had done quadruple duty with me… Frankly I am amazed she is still able to function. Uhhh…Megan has told you about the memory thing…”

“Yes…the data dump?”

“Yes…we call it that.” A was looking a bit nervous and nerdy again and it only took Rhi an instant to see where this concern originated.

Rhiannon nodded her understanding and said, “So…in a short while, Landon is going to have access to all of my, all your, and all Megan’s memories of last night…our date, all we talked about and shared… making love last night… Megan’s snoring afterward…”

“All that. And Landon and the rest of us already knew about the snoring… Yes, you do, Megan…” A and Megan were both evident in the facial reactions to the snoring discussion.

“You do Megan…I am a witness… So—A…you are in ‘protect Rhiannon mode’…I know that look. Is there a question you need to ask?”

“Uh…how do you feel about this? There is really no privacy in our little family…try as we might to respect each others’ boundaries…and we do…try that is. If you want, I can talk to Landon before…”

Rhiannon looked around at her guests—A’s new little family…and via her connection to A—HER new family. Add in her growing feelings for Megan—there was no doubt that the connections were becoming more solidified by the moment. The idea made her feel a warm sense of belonging she had rarely felt growing up. Her own family, for all their warts and quirks—she knew loved her dearly, and she loved them… But in truth-- was she as close to Mom, Dad, and Jolene as she felt a sense of closeness to Megan? Or Landon? Even Avery as big a mystery as the young trans-man was proving to be, Rhiannon felt he was becoming a part of her life… all of them were.

And of course…A… 

Even before last night—and the thought of last night was making her blush again—Rhiannon was utterly certain that no person would ever be as important to her as A…and that A was—the heavens willing—her permanent partner in life. Call them spouses… because neither husband nor wife felt fully correct as a title for either of them.

But…

Megan…

Holy shit.

Megan was… in her own way…becoming just as beloved as A in Rhiannon’s heart. Megan was filling a void in Rhiannon’s life that the young blonde had not really acknowledged as important…like a chronic ache that you just get used to tuning out and ignoring…but—it still feels wonderful when that pain is abated. Yes, Megan was her new best friend…but—she was also so, so much more…

Megan was playful…funny…sexy…cuddly…beautiful outside and inside, and ever so intuitive and thoughtful… and last night she had given A and Rhiannon a gift that could not be quantified…or fully appreciated in its loving generosity…only experienced…and treasured… Much like the little woman herself…

And this morning Rhi and Megan had unashamedly declared their love for one another…

Megan, too…gods willing…was becoming a life partner…

Ok…hang on then… Two..? Two spouses..?

Rhi had been looking at A/Megan as the question was asked along with the offer to speak—pre-transfer—to Landon… Now, she looked at Landon, slicing scones onto plates Rhi didn’t recall owning. Then she looked down to the floor at Avery, still playing with the cat--a smile of simple innocence on his soft face.

Rhiannon had essentially never dated more than one person at a time in her young life; not out of any particular grand plan or moral qualms—it had simply not happened that she and another found each other attractive and datable—in numbers greater than one at any given time.

Now…in this room with these people…her mind was adding up the columns of loving feelings and intimate connections and dynamic possibilities…and she was getting a sum that on the surface made absolutely no sense…

But…

Could she…

Love them all???

Could all of them…love her in return…?

How could she possibly navigate such a complex web of interconnected relationships?

Well…honesty was a given… These people were completely unable to dissemble with each other for more than a day… When you share thoughts and feelings…via A’s magical memory connection…your mind and your heart were an open book to all it seemed…

So…whatever she did, it MUST start with honesty, candor, and caring…

Alright… bite the bullet… Goodbye normal life…

But if she was being honest with herself, her ‘normal’ life ended on a pretty day over four years ago when she and ‘Justin’ cut school and went to the beach…

“Landon?!”

“Yes, Rhiannon?”

“Chef—one, that looks and smells like a five star brunch place… and two—how do you feel about the pending data dump? Are you embarrassed or anything…?”

Landon was mixing orange juice with champagne. Wow!

“One—thank you for the compliment. I have really been looking forward to cooking for you. Meal is up Avery. And two—yeah, maybe a little. I joke and I flirt but in all honesty… all the memories of your and A’s relationship I have shared up until meeting you just makes me respect you both more. And I am glad you two are together again. It makes me so happy to see you and the boss happy… Sad A was not fun to commune with some days… Connecting with A today I admit—I am looking forward to. About the whole memory of your time together last night I am about to experience…well—I’m not made of stone. I’m kinda looking forward to that too… But…if I could somehow NOT…please know I would…”

“A? Does that make you more comfortable?”

“It does my love… Actually…I was only worried about you…”

“I knew what I was getting into… It may take some getting used to…but…you—all of you…are worth it. Ok? Hey Landon?”

“Yes ma’am…”

“So you got A the rest of the day?”

“Unless we rearrange, yes… But with the adjustments of the last few days, I am kind of Hobson’s’ choice…”

“Megan? You tuned in?”

A second later a ping-less dark haired girl was answering, “Yes ma’am…”

“I’ll ma’am you… So when A jumps to Landon what are your plans?”

“Prolly take a nice nap. A is right… am still behind on sleep. Partially my fault…and after last night, partially yours…ma’am…”

“Landon..? If A is in you the rest of today how are you going to feel if I hold my lover’s hand or kiss them…? As in, hold YOUR hand and kiss you…”

“Nervous…but willing… I knew what I was getting into as well…”

“Megan? How will seeing me do that make you feel? Hurt? Jealous?”

Rhiannon was surprised at how pinched up Megan could make her face. “Don’t say dirty words… I don’t do jealousy…”

“Thank you my love. A? You’ve watched me kiss Megan plus a whole lot of other stuff… Are you jealous…feeling possessive or anything…?”

A took over. Pinchy face relaxed. Ping. “No dear…I am happy that Megan loves you and that you love her and you two are forging something together separate from me…from us… And I know you two make each other happy. I agree with Megan…jealousy is ugly and not for me...”

“Alright then… Avery? Your turn to be part of this conversation is coming too… Comments? Concerns…?”

Avery had washed his hands of cat fur at the kitchen sink, and then had stood by, listening, patient. He had all but shut down his face of expression. Next to her, A/Megan had gone very, very quiet—almost like they were holding their breath. Landon too, was looking a touch anxious as all awaited Avery’s next statement. Rhi had been nursing a feeling that of all of the family, Avery would be the one requiring… finesse in getting to know… it seemed the others were aware of this—but of course, they knew everything about Avery while Rhiannon still had much to learn.

Avery cleared his throat a bit nervously and finally replied, “Rhiannon…we…might need to…at least for now…have a private talk…”

“Of course. We can do that… Alright then. Thank you all for listening. Elephants in the room make me crazy. Anyone have anything else to share on this topic?”

“No dear…” said A/Megan.

“Nope…can we eat now…?” from Landon.

“Sure. Friends…thank you. I’m grateful you have welcomed me into this little family. I told A last night that I don’t have all the answers. And if someone had told me Monday that by today I would have all of you in my life…and that I would care so much for you all in so short a time…well—I can’t say I would have said ‘impossible’…I was schooled on the likelihood of the ‘impossible’ four years ago… Just know…my mind is open…my heart is open…and if I get even a little close to hurting anyone or screwing this family up…someone slap the shit outta me…ok?”

Landon walked over and collected Rhiannon into a huge, six foot plus hug. Then he kissed her and said right into her face, “That one was from me… I’m big on consent and all…you know..?”

“Yeah…”

“You are utterly amazing… OK…sit everyone…”

Landon prepared and set out plates with sliced scones, topped with the grilled slices of thinly trimmed, buttery pork loin, the beautifully poached eggs and fresh made Hollandaise sauce. All this was sprinkled with paprika and some very fine chopped basil. Sautéed spinach and mushrooms with a lovely aroma of garlic and onions was on the side. Each artistically composed plate looked like something from the Food Network or from a very upscale bistro. Also on the table was a big pot of hot tea in a new, family-sized teapot with matching mugs. The mimosas were in tall crystal flutes—also new-- at each table setting. The boys, it appeared, HAD been busy during date night, and with much more than vacuuming and washing sheets and curtains.

“Rhiannon…I made a patty of TVP for you if you prefer…”

“Actually today, I am channeling my inner carnivore. May I have the same as you all please?”

As Rhiannon sat eating from her mouthwateringly delightful brunch plate and sipping her Mimosa… she gazed around the table looking at her guests, friends, lovers—old and new—and apparently new family members…an idea began to grow at the back of her head.

A rather big but simple idea…

An idea that was so obvious, Rhiannon was surprised it had taken so long for her consider it. And it was an idea that answered the big question that had been in her thoughts for the last couple of days; how do I possibly fit into all this..?

Holy…frigging…shit…

Her idea hit her like a falling meteorite. And it might prove as dangerous as such a phenomenon… It might also prove as unique and wondrous as any such rare astronomical event…

She looked over at A/Megan.

Oh…crap. There was just one...little…problem…

“Dear..? You OK?”

“Yeah…woolgathering…”

The young blonde girl began to make mental plans.

First—she needed to talk privately with Megan… And the talk would have to happen after the transfer to Landon but before Megan passed out for her nap. And if her guesses about the rotations for the hosts and A were correct, she had a narrow window to complete this discussion—plus the subsequent necessary work-- before Megan’s next turn with A…and all would be revealed.

Rhiannon frowned—and immediately replaced it on her lips with a small smile as this group was amazingly perceptive. It had been a half hour or less since she had decided that candor was the only option in her interactions with her new family…but here she was…contemplating deception and secrecy…

No…not contemplating it…deciding upon it…

Well…so be it… This idea…this plan…she absolutely had to keep from A for as long as possible…

@@@@@@@

The little family had finished their brunch plates—each having chased every drop of Landon’s superb Hollandaise sauce with bites of scone, egg, and pork loin. Scarcely a crumb remained. Landon was beaming with pleasure and blushing from the flood of deserved praise for his culinary talents. As the conversation continued, Rhiannon decided to start her covert operation.

“Hey A..?”

“Yes love?”

“And Megan… can I have my new girlfriend for a minute before you crash? I wanna show you something… After we let our meal settle a bit of course and after you finish your transfer to Landon…no rush…”

“She says of course…hold on a sec…” A let go control of Megan for a moment and a ping-free girl with dark hair and almost as dark circles under her eyes smiled at Rhiannon and asked, “Girl talk? Because if you want a rematch after last night I am gonna have to nap first. A ain’t the only one who got wore out…”

“Well…I did my best love…you little minx… Yeah just a silly second of girl talk…and I have something for you…”

“Ok sure. Hey! Now that I have my mouth back-- Landon…you outdid yourself as usual… I loved that spinach… And nobody makes fresh Hollandaise like yours…”

“Thank you… I paid some attention in school… “

“This is pretty much the meal you made for us the day we officially met you and asked to be your friend…that late night at your restaurant…”

“I remember… Eggs Benedict in one form or another is one of my favorite meals to prepare… And what I often make when a special occasion is happening…and THIS is a special occasion…”

Avery volunteered for clean up duty and began to police plates. Rhi swallowed the last sip of her second Mimosa and emptied the last drops from her tea cup and handed them to the trans-man. He smiled shyly at her. There were unspoken volumes in his eyes.

Rhi whispered, “We can have our talk in just awhile…if you are willing?”

“I am… And thank you… I’ll leave hot tea out for everyone, OK? Are you going to work on that paper you mentioned later today?”

“Yeah, I should…”

“I saw your notes as I tidied your desk. It looks really good. I took the liberty of chasing down a couple of extra articles on your topic…articles NOT in your school’s library… They might prove useful… cuz—well—one was co-written by your professor…”

“Wow… You are…handy…”

“I try. They are in your printer whenever you get to it…” Avery took a stack of dirty dishes and glasses to the sink.

A/Megan had walked over to Landon and they did the hugging exchange. This time, Rhi watched more closely as A was passed from host to host. Megan let out a sigh of relaxation—and just as Landon’s face changed, Rhi noted the way his body was being held…just as Megan now seemed more relaxed, Landon seemed somehow more—not rigid, not tense—just under different control… The physical aspects of the sharing and the burden of needed energy on the part of the host—to actually SHARE their body with A-- was something Rhiannon was still observing and trying to understand.

The young woman’s stomach did a flip flop and not from the elegant meal she had overstuffed herself with. 

A now very tired-looking Megan came over and took her seat again. She gathered Rhiannon into an embrace and planted a quick kiss on her cheek before whispering in her new girlfriend’s ear, “Something is up…isn’t it..?”

Damn this girl. A/Landon was helping Avery with the dishes and the redhead was arguing that since Landon cooked, he was free from any clean up duties—those were the house rules…to which A riposted...it was not Landon but A offering to help.

Rhiannon kissed Megan’s ear and whispered back, “Yeah…sorry. Can we…”

Megan got up, took Rhiannon by the hand, led her across the living area and walked with her into her room. She pushed the door mostly shut. As the girls entered the room Megan’s demeanor changed. She was obviously concerned…

“Rhi…? Something is up… Are you ok? Did I do something..?” Megan was talking very softly and sat on Rhiannon’s bed, a serious look on her face. To the comprehensive list of Megan’s wonderful qualities add… profoundly intuitive…

“No honey…nothing like that. I just wanted a private minute…” Rhiannon too, was keeping her voice at a whisper level.

“Oh…hard to get around here… So do we need passwords and decoder rings or do I just get a capsule of poison to use if captured..?”

“Nothing that dramatic. But—can we keep this between us…and I understand it is just for…what…four days..?”

Megan was obviously taken aback. But she continued: “What? Until A and I reconnect? Well…yeah… A usually goes into the open air on weekends…and we have to run and pick them up sometimes…for a rescue or to check out potentials…possible new chums… But this little vacation has jiggled things around a bit… But it routinely works like this: I can usually do 2 days, three if needed… Landon has worked up to one and a half days of hosting…and Avery is still at eighteen hours…” Let’s see—it’s Saturday… So if Landon takes us into midday Sunday, and Avery a big chunk of Monday that means we can be secret agent-y until Tuesday at the earliest.

“Ok…I’m dying here…what is up..? What could you possibly want to keep from A…?”

“Megan?”

“Yeah, Rhi?”

“We need to talk. Seriously talk…”

“I’m listening… Again…am I in trouble?”

“Only if you don’t do as I ask…”

“You are really scaring me. Tell me what you want…”

Rhiannon collected Megan’s hands and looked down at her smaller friend with a piercing gaze as potent as one of Megan’s.

“You taught Landon and the others how to join with A.”

“Yeah, I did… Most of it comes from A, but I did my part…”

“Good. Because now—you are going to teach me.”

The small woman’s expressive eyes grew large and nakedly frightened. “Rhi—do you understand..?”

“Oh, I definitely understand. I am going to learn how to share myself—my body-- with A, just as you do. I want to join the ranks of the hosts…”

“I am not sure A is going to like that idea… Scratch that…A is gonna HATE that idea…they are going to go ape-shit on us…”

“A can kiss my ass! It’s my choice and I just told you what I chose. Will you help me?”

“Rhiannon…dear God-- Do you get what you are asking me to do?”

Rhiannon sighed. She knew. Hence the privacy. “I think so…”

“OK, forget for a second the utter betrayal of trust this involves on my part—and yours… Why not just go to A and talk this out…?”

“What will A say?”

Megan sighed. “A will say it is too dangerous and that they will refuse to risk your well-being… A and I had this talk years ago…the next day and after I sobered up… A wanted to forget the whole thing and go back to our friendship as it had been, pre second connection. I had to really play my stubborn card to get through to them… And every time since when someone has sung the ‘I wanna volunteer’ song--A pushes back…”

“I thought so… I feel like this has to be a fait acompli… Which is why I came to you under the rose…”

“Rhi…to be fair to A’s point of view… we are…on the edge of what is possible here. This science-fiction life we live—as Avery puts it—is nothing anyone has any clue about. There are no doctors or medical schools researching the ins and outs of sharing life as hosts of a non-corporeal. We LIVE this life with A and we don’t understand it—we’ve just been stumbling along, making this up as we go. We have no idea if there are long-term effects that will rise up in the months and years to come. My diabetes could come back later today, Landon could go deaf again. God knows what might happen to Avery. Or is hosting damning us to eventually suffer something even worse? I don’t know if the exhaustion that comes with our connections means that I will age more rapidly or get sick someday—soon—or just even just prematurely drop dead before I can grow actually old.

“Or…and this is the big one…what if one of us or A makes some kind of innocent mistake…and me or Landon—or you---just go POOF—and suddenly A has a permanent body…but one of us is gone forever. We think that is how the Imps and Demonio do some of their wicked shit…bodies left behind with no discernible cause of death. A and I have shared some really deep discussions about all the risks…and the other’s have too…”

Megan stopped to take a deep breath. She peered behind her. The door was still mostly closed and they had been all but whispering…

“Meggy…I get it…”

“I’m not sure you really do, honey… You have love-goggles on…”

“Guilty…”

“A and the boys and I have had many a late night talk… debate… argument… about this…and A has made it clear…the door is OPEN… Anyone can jump ship at any time, no hurt feelings, no questions asked. We are all volunteers… I have been wondering about Laura and Carmilla, actually. I think sometimes…with everything else supernatural they have to deal with in their own lives…if they didn’t fully think through their own choice to become hosts… and that the day they walk out that door and don’t come back—as hosts—is rapidly approaching… And I wouldn’t blame them…”

“I admit…this is a new idea…but I have to say…I don’t see my mind being changed… A is the love of my life… And A has made some very hurtful and complicated choices to protect me…and make me happy. I want to be with A for the rest of my life. How can I be with A if I am not WITH A…fully…sharing intimacy in the way that is…natural for A and their kind…

“You gave me a wonderful gift last night…”

“I gave myself a gift…” Megan confessed, eyes shy and lower lip in her teeth.

“Yeah…I am pretty special… You gave A and I a way to share ourselves… to be together as solid humans…to fully share that part of being in love… I needed that. And A knew I needed it. And you…you seemed to know it too… So A explored beyond their nature and we all made love last night…and yes, it was wonderful---no small thanks to a certain petite cheerleader I know… but…”

“But…”

Get my asshole of the year award ready, Rhi thought and then said, “I am sorry Megan…but—how did last night, as sweet and joyful and gratifying as it was…how did that experience compare to five minutes of every day sharing your mind and body with A…?”

Megan’s face shut down. She appeared devoid of emotion. Rhi would rather the small woman shouted at her. The small brunette swallowed and replied, “Rhiannon…that is not a fair question…”

“I know my dear love…and I am so sorry… But I don’t have a lot of time to plan this little caper here. I need my partner in love to also be my partner in crime… So be the mastermind of the kidnapping of the bodiless again and tell me…”

Megan shook her head, sighed, and lowered her face, answering—eyes closed, “There is no comparison… I love you with all my heart…and physically last night was beyond amazing…but you are still in there and I am in here…” Megan touched her own forehead and then reached over and touched Rhi’s to illustrate her answer. Megan’s eyes were welling with unshed tears.

“I am going to do this Megan. I need to do this. I will take the risks that you take. I will accept the consequences that you are willing to accept if need be… I know what I want and I am ready… For the memory record—when A sees this conversation next week—I am saying clearly—do not blame Megan… This is MY IDEA… If I must, I will do this without you… Please don’t make me do that…

“Will you…teach me…?”

Megan put her face in her hands and let out a muffled moan.

“Yes… Rhi—I will. I am not sure about how good an idea this is…but I love A and I love you…and you two NEED to be together…you deserve to be together...”

Rhiannon took a deep breath. Phase one of her nefarious plan was a go. She was certain of her choice. She was committed to making this happen.  
And now that it was on the path to happening, she was scared. She was terrified it might not work out. She was perhaps more afraid…that it would…


End file.
